Bajrang Punia Quick Info | |
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Height | 5 ft 6 in |
Weight | 65 kg |
Date of Birth | February 26, 1994 |
Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
Spouse | Sangeeta Phogat |
Bajrang Punia is an Indian freestyle wrestler who is widely regarded as one of the most skilled and gifted wrestlers produced by the country in the modern era. Representing India, he had won the ‘Gold’ medal at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games (65 kg), the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games (65 kg), the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (65 kg), the 2017 New Delhi Asian Wrestling Championships (65 kg), the 2019 Xi’an Asian Wrestling Championships (65 kg), the 2016 Singapore Commonwealth Wrestling Championship (65 kg), the 2017 Brakpan Commonwealth Wrestling Championship (65 kg), and the 2017 Ashgabat Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (70 kg). He had clinched the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2018 Budapest World Wrestling Championships (65 kg), the 2014 Incheon Asian Games (61 kg), the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games (61 kg), the 2021 Almaty Asian Wrestling Championships (65 kg), the 2020 New Delhi Asian Wrestling Championships (65 kg), the 2014 Astana Asian Wrestling Championships (61 kg), and the 2017 Bydgoszcz World Under-23 Wrestling Championships (65 kg). He had secured the ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (65 kg), the 2013 Budapest World Wrestling Championships (60 kg), the 2019 Nur-Sultan World Wrestling Championships (65 kg), the 2013 New Delhi Asian Wrestling Championships (60 kg), and the 2018 Bishkek Asian Wrestling Championships (65 kg).
Born Name
Bajrang Punia
Nick Name
The Tank, Baju
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Khudan, Jhajjar, Haryana, India
Residence
Haryana, India
Nationality
Occupation
Freestyle Wrestler
Family
- Father – Balvan Singh Punia (Former Wrestler)
- Mother – Om Pyari Punia
- Siblings – Harendra Punia (Older Brother). He has one other older sibling.
- Others – Mahavir Singh Phogat (Father-in-Law) (Former Amateur Wrestler, Wrestling Coach, Politician, Dronacharya Award Winner), Daya Shobha Kaur (Mother-in-Law), Geeta Phogat (Sister-in-Law) (Freestyle Wrestler, Arjuna Award Winner, India’s First Gold Medallist in Women’s Wrestling, India’s First Female Wrestler to Qualify for the Summer Olympics), Pawan Kumar (aka Pawan Saroha) (Brother-in-Law) (Freestyle Wrestler), Arjun Pawan Saroha (Nephew-in-Law), Babita Kumari Phogat (Sister-in-Law) (Freestyle Wrestler, Arjuna Award Winner), Vivek Suhag (Brother-in-Law) (Wrestler), Ritu Phogat (Sister-in-Law) (Freestyle Wrestler, Mixed Martial Artist), Dushyant Phogat (Brother-in-Law) (Wrestler), Vinesh Phogat (Cousin-in-Law) (Freestyle Wrestler, Arjuna Award Winner), Somvir Rathee (Cousin-in-Law) (Wrestler), Harvinder Phogat (Cousin-in-Law), Priyanka Phogat (Cousin-in-Law) (Freestyle Wrestler), Rajpal Phogat (Uncle-in-Law) (Deceased), Prem Lata Phogat (Aunt-in-Law), Man Singh (Grandfather-in-Law)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 6 in or 167.5 cm
Weight
65 kg or 143.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Bajrang has dated –
- Sangeeta Phogat (2020-Present) – Bajrang got married to fellow wrestler Sangeeta Phogat in November 2020, in a quiet ceremony in Sangeeta’s hometown of Balali village, Haryana.
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Side-parted, wavy hair
- Sports a thick beard
Religion
Hinduism
Bajrang Punia Facts
- He was named after the Indian mythological warrior-god Lord Hanuman.
- When he had won the ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2019 Nur-Sultan World Wrestling Championships in the 65 kg category, he had become the first Indian wrestler to win 3 medals at the World Wrestling Championships.
- A year earlier, when he had won the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2018 Budapest World Wrestling Championships in the 65 kg category, he had reached the world number 1 ranking in that weight category.
- For his services to wrestling, he was honored with the prestigious ‘Arjuna Award’ in 2015, the 2nd-highest sporting honor of India; and the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna’ award in 2019, the highest sporting honor in India. In 2019, he had also been honored with the ‘Padma Shri’ by the Government of India, the country’s 4th-highest civilian award.
- In January 2023, along with sportspersons like Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Anshu Malik, Bajrang had accused Bharatiya Janata Party MP, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, of s*xual harassment and physical abuse.
Featured Image by Bajrang Punia / Instagram