Deepak Punia Dominates National Wrestling Open, Storms Into 92kg Final

Asian Games silver medallist Deepak Punia stamped his authority in style at the National Open Ranking Tournament, bulldozing his way into the 92kg final without conceding a single point on a dramatic opening day that was equally remembered for its overwhelming turnout and organisational challenges.

The prestigious wrestling event witnessed an astonishing participation of nearly 1,400 wrestlers , making it the second biggest edition in the tournament’s history after the Chandigarh event in 2022. The sheer volume of athletes turned the venue into a packed wrestling arena from early morning, with long queues, delayed weigh-ins and non-stop action stretching the schedule deep into the night.

The 65kg division alone attracted close to 150 entries , putting enormous pressure on organisers. With only four weighing scales available, the process moved slowly and bouts began almost two hours behind schedule. As delays piled up throughout the day, organisers were eventually forced to shift the freestyle medal rounds to Monday.

Even referees found themselves under intense pressure, with around 30 officials working overtime to manage the marathon competition. The Wrestling Federation of India later decided to provide incentive payments for the referees because of the extraordinary workload.

While the event battled logistical headaches, Deepak Punia delivered pure class on the mat . Competing in the 92kg category instead of his usual 86kg division to avoid drastic weight cuts, the Haryana wrestler looked far superior to the rest of the field.

He opened with a commanding 10-0 technical superiority victory over Rahul before crushing Sachin Kumar 11-0. Abhishek then withdrew injured, and Deepak needed just 32 seconds to pin Rahul Hooda in a one-sided quarterfinal. He continued his ruthless run in the semifinal, overpowering Raja 11-0 to seal his place in the title clash.

Deepak will now face Vansh in the final after the latter defeated Robin 8-0 in the semifinals.

The tournament also marked the return of 2024 U23 Asian champion Anirudh Gulia , who recently resumed competitive wrestling after recovering from injury and losing his Railways job. Though he showed flashes of promise, his campaign ended in the pre-quarterfinals. Telangana wrestler Pilangolia too impressed despite bowing out in the 65kg category.