BAJRANG Bajrang

General
2019 WORLDS DISAPPOINTMENT
At the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, he lost his semifinal bout to Daulet Niyazbekov on a point tiebreak rule, after the pair were tied 9-9 at the conclusion of the bout. He said it was a disappointment he would not easily forget, but that he still had areas to improve on ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "It is very demoralising because I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't lose out on gold because of my mistakes. I know I have to forget this pain. I have to put this aside to do well in the future tournaments but it is difficult to get over it. The world championship and Olympics are different tournaments. I am preparing for [the 2020] Olympics and I had put in a lot of effort for the world championship also, so I don't think I can forget it. Whenever something similar will happen, I will remember this incident. I have been at the receiving end of such discrimination in all three [previous] world championships. Last year [2018] also it happened in the final. I did work on my leg defence ahead of the tournament and I gave less chances in that area this time. So now I will work on it further so that I don't give any chance to my opponents to get hold of my leg. I need to work on all areas. Overall, whether it is leg defence, attack or counter attack, I need to keep improving in all aspects going ahead." (sportstar.thehindu.com, 24 Sep 2019)

OCCUPATION
He joined the Indian Railways under a sports quota programme that allows him to train and compete internationally. He is employed as an officer on special duty. (sportswallah.com, 13 Apr 2018; Facebook profile, 16 Dec 2017; outlookindia.com, 24 Mar 2020)

MARRIAGE
He is engaged to partner Sangeeta Phogat, the youngest of the Phogat family of wrestlers including sisters Geeta, Babita, and Rita, and cousins Priyanka and Vinesh, who were all raised by her father Mahavir Singh Phogat. The couple expect to marry after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (wrestlingtv.in, 10 Aug 2019; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 25 Nov 2019)

At the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, he became the first Indian freestyle wrestler to win a career total of three world championship medals, when he claimed bronze in the 65kg category. Previously he had become the first Indian freestyle wrestler to win a second world championship medal when he claimed silver in 2018 in Budapest, Hungary, following his first world championship medal [bronze] in 2013. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Jan 2020; hindustantimes.com, 22 Oct 2018)