Sujeet Kalkal Wins Asian Games 2026 Wrestling Gold in Men’s Freestyle 65kg

In the freestyle 65kg men’s event of the Asian Games 2026, Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal has ended the India’s hope for wrestling gold medal. On October 2nd at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center, Kalkal defeated Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiyev 10-9 in the gold medal fight.

For the majority of the bout, the 23-year-old trailed 2-9 to Abdulmazhid Kudiyev. However, he went on to score eight successive points and turn around the contest to clinch the medal in his debut appearance in the Asian Games.

Sujeet Kalkal Completes Stunning Comeback in Final

Kudiyev dominated the contest and built up a lead of 9-2 in the final. At this stage, when it looked like the Tajik wrestler was going to win the gold medal, Kalkal produced a stunning comeback.

Kalkal scored eight successive points to turn around the contest. He went from 2-9 down in the bout to 10-9 in front.

It was Kalkal’s maiden Asian Games gold.

Kalkal Beats Afghanistan in First Match

Kalkal kicked off his fight against Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai. At first, he was behind 0-3 but soon reversed the tide with a push out and a shoulder throw.

Kalkal gained 5-3 lead before scoring four more points via throw and roll. Kalkal finally won 13-3 match on technical superiority and progressed to the quarter-finals.

Indian Wrestler Beats Iran on Technical Superiority

At the quarter-final, Kalkal took on Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi. The Indian performed well and triumphed on technical superiority.

Kalkal didn’t let Iran score a point in the match and entered the semi-finals undefeated.

Sujeet Kalkal Beats Olympic Champion Kotaro Kiyooka

The semis offered tough competition for Kalkal as he was competing against Kotaro Kiyooka, the Olympic champion from Japan.

Kiyooka dominated the first round leading with a score of 2-0, but Kalkal fought back in the second round where he scored three points while his opponent scored one point, making their score 3-3.

With their score being equal, Kalkal won on criteria to enter the gold-medal match.

First Wrestling Gold for India at 2026 Asian Games

This win marked an end to the waiting period that Indians had been through regarding winning a gold medal in wrestling at the 2026 Asian Games as Kalkal won gold after defeating wrestlers from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, and Japan.

This is yet another achievement for Kalkal at only 23 years old.