Sounding out a warning to his rivals, a fit-again Bajrang Punia on Thursday said the wrestling world will see a new avatar of him at the Tokyo Olympics, where he will be one of India's strongest medal contenders.
His weak leg defence is no secret and, of late, his rivals have successfully managed to use it to their advantage. For the same reason, most of his rivals, their coaches and even the fans believe that Bajrang starts 4-5 points behind even before stepping on to the mat.
Some experts still believe the handicap could cost India's biggest medal contender dearly in next year's Games, the last two World Championships being a testimony.
However, despite this apparent weakness, Bajrang climbed to the number one ranking in the world in the competitive 65kg category in 2018, thanks to his superior stamina and ability to strike in the second period.
"My coach says I should be able to surprise my opponents when I compete again. Obviously, I can't reveal what I am doing but you will see a new Bajrang on the mat when I will compete during the Olympics," Bajrang told PTI in an interaction.
"People will say that Bajrang's wrestling style is now very different. Whether it is technique, stamina, style, everything is being worked upon."
"I was away from mat training for some time. The pain was not subsiding and the doctors had warned that it could develop into something serious if I don't let it heal. I had the time (for rest) now because I could not have taken the risk so close to the Olympics. So, the focus was on physical training and not on mat training."
"My first tournament in the new season will be in in January. After Italy, there is Asian Championship and one more ranking series event, but we are yet to fix a definitive schedule."