World Wrestling Rankings: Deepak Punia New No. 1 In 86kg, Bajrang Punia Loses Top Spot In 65kg Category
Deepak Punia came back from the World Wrestling Championships with a silver medal, which boosted his rankings at world level and put him on top of the 86kg class.
Deepak Punia, on the back of a silver medal in his World Wrestling Championships debut, has risen to the top of the rankings in the 86kg men's freestyle category. He now sits four points above world champion Haszan Yazdani, who he was supposed to face in the final of the World Championships. Bajrang Punia, who secured bronze in the 65kg men's freestyle category in the Worlds, has dropped from the top spot in the rankings, with Gadzhimurad Rashidov overtaking him.
Deepak Punia won a silver medal in the World Championships after an injury forced him to pull out of his title clash against the Iranian 74kg Olympic champion.
He defeated Colombia's Carlos Arturo Mendez, Kodirov Bakhodur of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan's Adilet Davlumbayev before beating Switzerland's Stefan Reichmuth in the semi-final. But an ankle injury that he picked up in the first round of the tournament forced him out of the final.
Bajrang Punia, who fought back from a 0-6 deficit to defeat Mongolian Tulga Tumur Ochir 8-7 in the 65kg bronze medal bout in Kazakhstan's Nur-Sultan, lost his top spot to Rashidov, who won the gold in the World Championships.
In the 57kg men's freestyle category, Rahul Aware rose to the Number 2 spot while Ravi Dahiya has secured the 5th rank. Both Aware and Dahiya won bronze in the World Championships.
Vinesh Phogat's bronze medal in the World Championships has helped her climb four spots to the Number 2 spot in the 53kg category.
In 50kg, Seema Bisla has dropped a rung to number three while Pooja Dhanda is ranked five in 59kg, two places behind compatriot Manju Kumari.