Deepak Punia is an Indian freestyle wrestler. In 2019, he came into the spotlight by winning a silver medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, and qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Wiki/Biography
Deepak Punia was born on Wednesday, May 19, 1999 in Jhajjarchahara, Haryana (age 23; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Taurus. Deepak received his initial training in wrestling at home, as both his father and grandfather were professional wrestlers. They used to participate in local tournaments (dangal). According to his family, he began showing interest in wrestling at the age of four. Gradually, he started participating in local dangals to earn money. Later, he joined Chhatrasal Stadium to receive professional training in the sport of wrestling.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Weight (approximately): 85kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
His father’s name was Subhash Punia and he was a milkman.
Deepak Punia’s father
His mother’s name is Krishna Punia and she is a housewife.
Deepak Punia and his mother
He has a sister named Neeru Dhanda who is a member of the Indian shooting team.
Profession
wrestling
Deepak Punia started wrestling professionally in 2015 under the guidance of coaches Virender Kumar and Satpal Singh.
Deepak Punia and his coach Virender Kumar
At the same time, two-time Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar also started coaching him on professional wrestling strategies. In 2016, he won a gold medal at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2018, he won the gold medal in the 86kg category at the Asian Youth Track and Field Games. In the same year, he participated in the Junior World Wrestling Championships and won a silver medal for India.
Deepak Punia wins gold medal and belt at Asian Wrestling Championships
The following year, he participated in the Youth World Wrestling Championships and won the gold medal in the 86 kg category. That same year, he won a silver medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, paving the way to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In 2021, Deepak won a silver medal at the Asian Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. That same year, Deepak Punia suffered a hand injury during the Polish Open and subsequently decided not to compete again to avoid further injuries. In these tournaments, he was supposed to face American wrestler Zahid Valencia in the quarterfinals.
Government officials
The Indian government appointed Deepak Punia as Naik Subedar in the Indian Army in 2018.
medal
gold
2016: World Junior Championships (Tbilisi) 85kg
2018: Asian Youth Athletics Championships (New Delhi) 86kg
2019: World Youth Wrestling Championships (Tallinn) 86 kg
2022: Birmingham Commonwealth Games 86kg
Deepak Punia wins gold at Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022
silver
2018: World Junior Wrestling Championships (Trnava) 86 kg
2019: World Wrestling Championships (Nur-Sultan) 86kg
2021: Asian Wrestling Championships (Almaty) 86kg
bronze
2019: Asian Wrestling Championships (Xi’an) 86kg
2020: Asian Wrestling Championships (New Delhi) 86kg
Facts/Trivia
- In a conversation with a media outlet, Deepak Punia revealed that Sushil Kumar and Bajrang Punia are his favorite Indian wrestlers.
- Deepak Punia says Indian wrestler Hassan Yazdani is his idol. Hassan is the 2016 Olympic champion and two-time world champion. Once, Deepak and Hassan faced off in the final of the Asian Championships, and Hassan eventually won, while Deepak lost the game due to technical inferiority. Speaking to a media outlet after Deepak’s loss, Deepak Punia’s coach Virender said it was normal to feel confused in front of the person you grew up idolizing. Virender said,
It’s natural to be confused when you have to fight a wrestler you grew up idolizing. But this hesitation is a thing of the past. He and I discussed the Asian finals and already made plans. “
Deepak and Hassan
In the same discussion, Virender spoke about Deepak’s dedication to the game. He recounted how Deepak struggled to maintain a highly disciplined and balanced life over the years. Virender revealed that Deepak even tried to learn a lot from the movements of the children. He said,
If I tell a student that they have to do 600 dand-baithaks (push-ups and knee bends) as part of a task, Deepak will not only complete the task but also do something extra. I’ve seen him even learn moves from children. “
- According to Deepak Punia, his father used to send him fruits and milk from Jhajjar to his training center and he had to walk 60 kilometers to reach it every morning. Once, the village chief gave Deepak a jug of milk, and Deepak drank the whole jug in one go. The people in the village named Deepak “Ketli Pehalwan”. Later, Deepak repeated the same thing three times.
- In his free time, Deepak enjoys shopping and visiting malls. He enjoys spending time with close friends. Deepak is a foodie and often enjoys eating junk food. In a conversation with a media outlet, he said he only likes to eat junk food between matches. Deepak said,
Whenever I get a chance, like after a game, I go out to eat, even junk food. But once the break is over, I don’t think about anything else. Wrestling and training is life. “
Deepak Punia and friends
- According to Deepak Punia, the Haryana government reportedly did not support him financially during his initial years in wrestling. In a media chat, Deepak said that he did not receive any monetary reward after winning the Junior World Championship in 2016. Soon, Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia underlined his appeal on social media, he posted a tweet on his Twitter account and said: Wrote, Prize money for senior wrestlers Often withheld by the government. He also emphasized that financial support from the government is needed to better encourage youth wrestlers so that they can train harder and achieve better results in future competitions.
सीनियर खिलड़ियों को तो फिर भी पुरस्कररकम कट क े दी गइ, जूनियर खलडिय़ों को क्यर सीनियर बन्ने तक प्रतिक्षा करनीपडेगीप्रत्स्हनकेलिय? Yes? कैडेट और जूनियर खिलडिय़ों के लिए भी कुछ सोचे सरे ह ब। @anilvijminister https://t.co/SEs68tcZlA
— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) August 15, 2019
- According to some media reports, in 2018, Deepak Punia asked his father to stop selling milk because his family’s income was good. That same year, he bought them an SUV.
- United World Wrestling has named Deepak Punia the 2019 Junior Freestyle Wrestler of the Year.
- Deepak Punia suffered shoulder and ankle injuries during the 2019 World Championship Wrestling. In the final match of the tournament, he faced Iranian wrestler Hassan Yazdani, who defeated Deepak in the 86kg weight class, and Deepak had to settle for the silver medal.
Deepak Punia poses with silver medal after winning World Championships
- In 2020, according to some media sources, Deepak Punia became the first wrestler in eighteen years to win the Junior World Championship. Due to his outstanding performance at the World Youth Championship, Forbes included him in the 2021 “30 Under 30” list.
#DeepakPuniaThe 21-year-old wrestler became the first Indian in 18 years to win the junior world title. Stay tuned for his Tokyo Olympics later this year! #ForbesIndia30U30
See the full list here: https://t.co/OcRKzXXdSl @India_AllSports@FederationWrest pic.twitter.com/gKdKwGzD1P
— Forbes India (@ForbesIndia) February 9, 2020
- Deepak Punia along with his fellow wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya visited Russia in 2021 to train for the Tokyo Olympics. They were partially vaccinated against the coronavirus when they arrived in Russia, so the Indian Embassy in Moscow decided to vaccinate both of them with the second dose of the Covishield vaccine. But Poland’s strict vaccination policy does not allow them to receive a second dose.
- In 2021, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government.
Deepak Punia receives Padma Shri in 2021
- Deepak Punia is a fitness enthusiast. He works out regularly and often shares photos and videos of his workouts on social media.
Deepak Punia does physical exercises
- He remains very active on various social media platforms. He has more than 65,000 followers on Instagram. On Facebook, he has more than just regular followers. He often shares pictures and videos on social media.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education