Sujeet Kalkal rallies from 9-2 down to win India’s first wrestling gold at Asian Games
India’s Sujeet Kalkal overturned a seven-point deficit to defeat Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the 65kg freestyle final at the 2026 Asian Games. Earlier, he beat reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka and advanced to the final on criteria after a 3-3 semi-final.
India’s Sujeet Kalkal recovered from a 9-2 deficit to defeat Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 and win the country’s first wrestling gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games. The 23-year-old had already overcome reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan in the semi-final earlier on Friday. That bout ended 3-3, with Kalkal advancing on criteria after producing the bigger move.
Kudiev made the stronger start in the final and built a seven-point lead. Kalkal remained aggressive, found openings and scored eight unanswered points to move ahead 10-9. The Tajik wrestler could not respond before Kalkal secured the title.
The victory made Kalkal only the third Indian to win the men’s 65kg freestyle title at the Asian Games. He followed Yogeshwar Dutt, who won in 2014, and Bajrang Punia, who took gold in 2018. Kalkal’s route to the final began with a 9-3 victory over Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai after recovering from an early deficit.
He then defeated Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadehssavadkouhi 10-0 by technical superiority in the quarter-final. The gold marked a significant turnaround after setbacks during Kalkal’s attempt to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. He and fellow wrestler Deepak Punia were delayed at Dubai airport by severe flooding and reached Bishkek after the weigh-in for the Asian Olympic Qualifier had started.
They were not allowed to compete. Kalkal also lost at the World Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul after surrendering a 2-0 lead against American wrestler Zain Retherford. Rather than ending his progress, those disappointments prompted him to compete and train overseas, including in Mongolia, Russia and Japan.
His wrestling began at a village akhada in Imlota, Haryana, under the influence of his father, Dayanand Kalkal, a former national-level wrestler. After moving to Sonipat in 2021, he trained with more experienced athletes and progressed through the U20 and U23 levels, winning U23 World Championships gold in 2025 before claiming his senior Asian Games title.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.