Bajrang Punia gets beaten by Yianni Diakomihalis at Madison Square Garden
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Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia was beaten by American Yianni Diakomihalis in the 'Grapple at the Garden - Beat the Streets' competition held at Madison Square Garden in New York USA. USA Wrestling had invited the Indian to participate and Punia was the first Indian to do so as well.
Bajrang Punia’s terrific winning streak at the international level came to an end as he was defeated by USA’s Yianni Diakomihalis in a thrilling bout at the iconic Madison Square Garden. The 25-year-old Indian went down to the American by a close margin of 8-10 in the 65kg category bout.
After the competitive fight, Punia expressed his delight saying that it was a great experience to fight at the iconic place.
"It was a fantastic experience to fight at the Madison Square Garden. The match was very competitive and gave me a few lessons to learn. I can assure that I will come back stronger," Punia told TOI.
"The fact that I competed in three different continents in three weeks is itself quite challenging. I am thankful for all the support that I have received through this period. I did have the belief that I could do well in these competitions and am pleased with my performances."
In the last 10 international tournaments, Punia has won nine gold medals for the country. The current World No. 1 in his weight category had won a silver in the World Championships last year.
