The jog from the tunnel to the mat was the only time Bajrang Punia was standing on his feet. The rest of the time, he lay flat on his back. Wreathing in pain. Hurt and humiliated. You didn’t really have to look at the mat to see Bajrang struggling. His pain could be heard even from a distance. The nervous tapping of the foot against Bahrain's Alibeg Saigidgusein Alibegov; the yelp when Iran’s Rahman Amouzadkhalili twisted his arm; the thud when he was lifted in the air and slammed on the mat; the huffing as he stormed into the changing room after his comeback ended in embarrassment. And if one did look at the mat, everything would have been magnified. The anxiety on his face when he nervously tapped his foot against the Bahraini; the pursing of his lips after the Iranian twisted his arm; the dread on his face when he was lifted in the air and slammed on the mat; the despair when he lost and the redness in his eyes due to anger and embarrassment. Bajrang came to the Asian Games hoping to defend the gold he won in Jakarta five years ago. He will leave empty-handed, fighting to keep his dignity intact. This was a poor replica of the wrestler nicknamed ‘The Tank’ for his brute force and unending energy. He suffered the kind of thrashing that can raise question marks over careers, put into doubt futures, and stoke debates over their selection. Bajrang has the ability to rise from the pits and return to the podium. The question is whether he has the stomach for another fight. To summarise his unfortunate Asian Games adventure, Bajrang fought four bouts on Friday. He won two – against Ronil Tubog of the Philippines and Alibegov. It paved his entry into the semifinals, where Iran’s Amouzadkhalili humiliated him with a dhobi pachad that echoed inside the near-empty arena. Then, in the repechage match for the bronze medal, Japan’s Kaiki Yamaguchi gave him no chance, beating the Indian by a margin of 10 points. Bajrang buried his head in his hands while he was flat on his stomach with Yamaguchi lording over him. Once the referee put him out of his misery, the Indian stormed into the changing room ripping off the strapping on his right arm. This is alien territory for one of India’s most successful wrestlers who has had PV Sindhu-level consistency at big tournaments. He is a four-time World Championship medallist, a Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and a former Asian Champion. Shadow of a legend On Friday, however, he looked like a man who was once a great wrestler. His speed, which made him such a thrill to watch, was nullified. His strength, which gave him the power to defend the slimmest of leads, relinquished. Movements slow, tactics deserted. If one analyses rationally, strips off the emotion, this outcome should hardly be a surprise. This was, after all, his first competition – domestic or international – in nearly 13 months. And while his competitors did not miss a single training session, Bajrang, who has been one of the faces of the protest against former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, returned to the mat only in the second half of June. The rest of the year, the major part of it at least, was spent on the streets of Delhi, demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan, who has been accused of sexual harassment by women wrestlers. The months-long protest, the irregular sleep cycle and dietary compromises all took a toll on his body. When he eventually returned to training, Bajrang – who competes in the 65kg weight class – realised he had touched 75kg. Never been this heavy in his life, overweight and undertrained, Bajrang had weeks of ‘unimaginable training’ when he sweated buckets to shed kilos, worked on his mat movement and tactics, He did so while simultaneously continuing the battle against Brij Bhushan, fighting court cases and selection controversies. Defying odds, he made his much-awaited comeback even though his fitness might not be at the same level. There was to be no fairytale comeback. Only enduring nightmares. Bajrang’s struggles looked even more heightened because of the performance of wrestlers touted to lead the next generation. Aman Sehrawat, who competes in the 57 kg weight class – same as Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya - won a bronze medal. He staged a remarkable recovery in his second bout to come back from an 1-8 deficit and win by a margin of 10 points. He trailed again in the semifinals, and even though he tried, another comeback was out of his reach. Eventually, he settled for a bronze – his first in the Asian Games. Women wrestlers Sonam Malik and Kiran too finished on the podium, winning bronze medals in their maiden Asiad appearance. The smiling faces of the three medallists will provide some relief – even though momentary – to the sport battered by controversies. For Bajrang, though, the comeback was out of reach.
