Bajrang Punia arrives in Moscow for pre-season camp in first training stint after Tokyo Olympics

New Delhi: Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia reached Moscow on Monday for a 26-day pre-season training camp scheduled till 21 January. This is Bajrang’s first training stint after the performance in Tokyo. “This is my first training camp after the Olympics and I’m hoping this turns out to be a very good one,” mentioned Bajrang from Russia in a statement. “I’ve chosen Russia as its wrestlers win the most medals in the Olympic Games and World Championships. I will draw benefit from training with the experienced wrestlers here.” The Sports Ministry’s Mission Olympics Cell (MOC) approved his trip at an overall cost of Rs. 7.53 lakh. Jitender and Anand Kumar have accompanied Bajrang as his sparring partner and physiotherapist respectively. Bajrang is set to compete in international meets including UWW Ranking events, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as well as the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. “I have to compete in Ranking Series in Italy and Turkey this February and then the Asian Championships in Mongolia in April. I’m going to give my best as I aim is to change the colour of my medal in Paris 2024,” Bajrang added.