Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Wednesday re-appointed Shako Bentinidis as coach for Bajrang Punia and has brought in Beijing Olympics silver medallist Murad Gaidarov for Ravi Kumar and Deepak Punia.
World Championships bronze medallist Bajrang had requestedc the WFI to re appoint Bentinidis. The Georgian has helped Punia climb to the top of world rankings in 65kg.
After their impressive debut in World Championship in which Deepak claimed a silver in 86kg and Ravi Kumar a bronze in 57kg, the national wrestling body decided to provide the elite level coaching facilities to the two medal prospects. The two freestyle wrestlers will now get to hone their skills under the tutelage of Gaidarov, who has been engaged by the WFI with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in mind.
WFI and Principal Sponsor Tata Motors have extended the dedicated resource to train these strong medal prospects for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medallist and 2003 World Championships silver medallist, Gaidarov will help the grapplers learn not only the nuances of the game but also prepare them to win the big ticket tournaments before the Olympics.
The Belarusian will also guide the wrestlers to work on their physical strength and mental conditioning. Both the coaches have accepted the contracts. They are completing the formalities to join their trainees shortly.
“WFI’s aim is to ensure each athlete preparing for the Olympics gets the best coaching and support staff. In that respect, we have ensured that our 3 best freestyle wrestlers have whatever they need and I am grateful to Tata Motors for supporting in every aspect of their training and to Sporty Solutionz for facilitating those facilities,” said WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh,