Railways’ Pritam became a surprise champion in the highly-competitive 74kg category ahead of talented junior Yash while Narsingh Pancham Yadav also put up a spirited show to win bronze at the National Wrestling Championship in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
Although Narsingh has made a comeback to competitive wrestling recently after completing a four-year dope ban, Amit Dhankar and Yash were the most talked-about in this weight division.
But it was Pritam who wreaked havoc on the draw by winning two of his bouts by fall and two by technical superiority.
Even in the final, he did not concede a single point, winning 11-0 against Yash, who recently won a bronze at the junior world championship and is making a transition to the senior circuit.
The 25-year-old dominated his bouts with his aggression and tremendous control. He knew exactly what was required to win.
“It’s good that I stayed an underdog, otherwise, I would have also fallen on that side,” Pritam laughed after bagging his first gold medal at the senior nationals in his fourth attempt.
