Tokyo Olympics 2020: Bajrang Punia Loses In Semi-Final, To Fight For Bronze

The Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia was defeated by Azerbaijan's Haji Aliyev in the men's 65kg freestyle semi-final on Friday (August 6). Bajrang was lost 5-12 in a match in which Aliyev set the pace.

Aliyev led 4-1 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Azerbaijan wrestler grabbed Bajrang's legs and went on a scoring spree to take an 8-1 advantage.

Later in the battle, Bajrang scored four points, but Aliyev increased his advantage to seven points and won the bout to secure a spot in the gold medal final.

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In the bronze medal match, Bajrang Punia will now face the ROC's Gadzhimurad Rashidov on Saturday.

Earlier, Bajrang Punia battled hard and defeated Iran's Morteza Ghiasi Cheka in the quarterfinals, pinning him down and progressing to the semi-finals.