Injury forces Deepak Punia out of Wrestling Worlds final

Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan):  India's rising star Deepak Punia (86kg) has pulled out of the final of the Wrestling World Championships due to injury. He has to settle for silver.

According to reports, Punia's leg is injured and he has an eye swelling too. It is believed that he picked up both injuries during the first round.

The 19-year-old, who became the youngest Indian ever to make it to the final of the World Championships, also bagged a Tokyo 2020 Olympic quota in the process on Saturday.

Deepak Punia, who also won the World Cadet title in 2016, was the fourth Indian grappler to book a Tokyo ticket this week, following Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya.

While each of them pocketed a bronze medal, Deepak would be the only Indian to return home with a silver.