SportsPosted at: Oct 2 2026 6:40PM


Three years after legal battle, wrestler Sujeet Kalkal completes journey with Asiad gold

New Delhi, Oct 2 (UNI) Three years after a legal battle over his Asian Games selection, Sujeet Kalkal completed a remarkable journey by becoming an Asian Games champion, producing a stunning comeback to beat Tajikistan’s world medallist Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the men’s freestyle 65kg final.
Trailing 2-9 with just under two minutes left, Sujeet refused to surrender. The 23-year-old launched a relentless series of attacks, scoring three takedowns in quick succession to close the gap. Kudiev was still clinging to a one-point lead with 11 seconds remaining when Sujeet found one final takedown. The two points put him ahead 10-9 and completed one of the most dramatic comebacks of the Games.
The gold was India’s first in wrestling at the Asian Games since 2018 and made Sujeet only the third Indian to win the men’s 65kg freestyle title, after Olympic medallists Yogeshwar Dutt in 2014 and Bajrang Punia in 2018.
Sujeet had earlier opened his campaign with a 13-3 win by technical superiority over Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai. He then beat Iran’s Abbas Mohammadrez Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi 10-0 by technical superiority in the quarterfinals.
That set up a clash with reigning Olympic champion and local favourite Kotaro Kiyooka. Sujeet fell 0-2 behind but fought back with a two-pointer and a technical point to level the contest at 3-3. The score remained tied at the end of regulation time, but Sujeet was declared the winner on criteria for executing the highest-scoring move.
The final against Kudiev was a different challenge. Sujeet had beaten the Tajik 7-2 in the semifinal of the 2026 Asian Championships, where he went on to win gold and Kudiev took bronze. But in Nagoya, Kudiev seized control and led 9-2 at half-time.
With a heavy deficit to overcome, Sujeet produced a remarkable second-period fightback, scoring two-point moves four times to turn the match on its head and secure the gold.
The victory completed a journey that began with disappointment three years ago.
Sujeet had moved the Delhi High Court seeking a trial in the 65kg category for the 2022 Asian Games, which were eventually held in 2023. The ad-hoc committee running Indian wrestling after the Wrestling Federation of India was de-recognised by the sports ministry had instead given Bajrang Punia a direct entry into the team.
Sujeet, along with women’s wrestler Antim Panghal, challenged the decision in court. Antim eventually made the team and won bronze, while Vinesh Phogat was given direct entry in the 53kg category without trials. Sujeet, however, received no relief from the court.
As fate would have it, Bajrang lost three years ago, ending India’s dominance in the 65kg category. Yogeshwar had won gold in 2014 before Bajrang finished on top of the podium in 2018.
Dipanshi loses bronze
Three-time Asian championship gold medallist Dipanshi's maiden Asian Games campaign ended short of a bronze after losing 4-11 to Zeinep Bayanova of Kazakhstan in women's 50 kg freestyle category.
Curtains for Priya, Rajat
India’s other two wrestlers in action, Rajat Ruhal in the 125kg freestyle and Priya Malik in the women’s 76kg category, were eliminated after losing their respective bouts. Neither got a second chance through repechage as the wrestlers who defeated them failed to reach the finals.
UNI TB RSA
Tags: #Three years after legal battle# wrestler Sujeet Kalkal completes journey with Asiad gold
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