Bajrang Punia battled his way to India's first gold medal at the Asian Games here yesterday like a Gladiator, just like in the Hindi dubbed version of the English hit movie shown to him before his bouts by personal coach — Georgian Emzario Bentinidis — as a motivational exercise. Bajrang beat Japan's Takatani Daichi 11-8 to win gold in the 65kg category in a see-saw battle that had everyone at the Jakarta Convention Centre Assembly Hall here on the edge of their seats.

The Indian, who won all his three earlier round matches by technical superiority (he beat Uzbekistan's Sirojiddin 13-3, Tajikistan's Fayziev Abdulqosim 12-2 and Mongolian Batmagnai Batchuluu 10-2) seemed to be cruising to gold when he took a 6-0 lead in the first of two rounds. However, the Japanese wrestler fought back and finished the round with the score reading 4-6 in favour of Bajrang. The second round was even more thrilling. A move by Daichi earned him two points and it was even stevens. But this was just the trigger Bajrang needed. He twisted and turned the Japanese on the mat to take the lead once again before a minor controversy unfolded. Both wrestlers were awarded two points for a move by Bajrang when only the Indian deserved those points.