India’s star wrestler and second seed in his weight category, Bajrang Punia will begin his Tokyo 2020 Olympics campaign in the men’s freestyle 65kg category on Friday, August 6.
One of India’s strongest medal contenders, Bajrang, will take on Kyrgyzstan’s Ernazar Akmataliev in the round of 16.
If he secures victory in the opening round, the three-time World Championship medallist Bajrang is expected to meet either Iran’s Morteza Ghiasi or Haithem Dakhlaoui of Tunisia in the next round.
Provided Bajrang wins both his first two bouts, he will progress to face third-seed Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan or Rio 2016 bronze-medallist Haji Aliyev.
Another Indian in action on Day 14 is Seema Bisla, who will start her Tokyo 2020 campaign against Tunisia’s Sarra Hamdi in the opening round of the women’s 50kg freestyle.
If Seema wins her debut bout in the Olympics, she could be up against top seed Mariya Stadnik of Azerbaijan in the quarter-finals.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics wrestling schedule for Indian wrestlers on August 6
All times are in Indian Standard Time (IST)
Women’s wrestling:
Freestyle 50kg round of 16: Seema Bisla vs Sarra Hamdi - 8:07 AM IST
Freestyle 50kg quarter-final: Seema Bisla (Subject to qualification) - 8:56 AM IST
Freestyle 50kg semi-final: Seema Bisla (Subject to qualification) - 3:13 PM IST
Men’s wrestling:
Freestyle 65kg round of 16: Bajrang Punia vs Ernazar Akmataliev - 8:49 PM IST
Freestyle 65kg quarter-final: Bajrang Punia (Subject to qualification) - 9:17 AM IST
Freestyle 65kg semi-final: Bajrang Punia (Subject to qualification) - 2:52 AM IST
Where to watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics wrestling event live in India?
The wrestling event of August 6 at Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be telecast live on the Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 2 HD, Sony SIX and Sony SIX HD TV channels in India. Sony TEN 3, Sony TEN 3 HD, Sony TEN 4 and Sony TEN 4 HD will broadcast the Olympic Games in regional languages.
Live streaming of the Tokyo Olympics freestyle wrestling will be available on the SonyLiv app and website.
Featured photo: Asian Wrestling Championship