Deepak Punia Reaches 92kg Freestyle Final at Senior Open Ranking Tournament

Deepak Punia reached the 92kg freestyle final at the Senior Open Ranking wrestling tournament on May 10, 2026, at the Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya campus in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, marking a strong comeback after missing the 2024 Asian Olympic qualifier due to travel disruptions caused by flooding in Dubai. Punia, a former World Championships silver medallist and Asian Games silver medallist, recorded commanding victories over Rahul (10-0), Sachin Kumar (11-0), Abhishek (by injury withdrawal), Rahul Hooda (by fall), and Raja (11-0) to set up a final clash with Vansh.

The tournament saw a major upset in the 125kg category when former Asian bronze medallist Anirudh Kumar lost 8-4 to lesser-known Rohit in the round of 16. Anirudh had earlier defeated Harsh and Pushpender but failed to reach the repechage after Rohit lost 3-4 to Shubham in the quarterfinals.

A total of 593 freestyle wrestlers competed across 10 weight categories in a temporary shed venue, with bouts running from morning through late evening after a two-hour delay. The Wrestling Federation of India reinstated the event, originally planned for 2023 but cancelled during the wrestlers' protest, as a key qualifier for World and Commonwealth Championships selection trials.

The federation conducted bouts up to the semifinal stage on May 10, with all medal matches scheduled to resume on Monday, May 11, at the same venue.