Rajat Ruhal at Asian Games 2026: 125kg Wrestling Campaign and Result
Rajat Ruhal, India's men's freestyle heavyweight, competed at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya in the 125kg category. A U20 World Championships bronze medallist, Rajat earned his place by beating Dinesh Dhankhar 10-6 at the national selection trials in Lucknow, and followed it with a bronze medal at the 2026 Budapest Ranking Series. On 2 October 2026 at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre, he lost his opening bout 3-8 to Kazakhstan's U20 world champion Yedige Kassimbek in the round of 16, which ended his campaign.
Rajat Ruhal at the Asian Games 2026
Rajat Ruhal's Asian Games debut came on 2 October, the same day as Sujeet Kalkal's men's freestyle 65kg campaign. He was India's lone entry in the 125kg category, the heaviest weight class in freestyle wrestling, and part of a five-member Indian men's freestyle squad that also includes Aman Sehrawat, Sujeet Kalkal, Sagar Jaglan and Deepak Punia.
Rajat drew Kazakhstan's Yedige Kassimbek, ranked 12th by UWW against Rajat's 21st, in the round of 16 and lost 3-8. With no route into the repechage, his campaign ended in that first bout.
For the bigger picture, see our complete guide to Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, check the Asian Games 2026 India schedule, find out where to watch Asian Games 2026 live in India, or browse the full Asian Games 2026 wrestling schedule for every India bout.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Men's Freestyle Wrestling, 125kg |
| Date | 2 October 2026 - Qualifications/Repechage from 7:00 AM; Final from approx. 2:30 PM IST |
| Venue | Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre, Minato Ward, Nagoya |
| Result | Lost round of 16 to Yedige Kassimbek (KAZ), 3-8 |
| Overall Games Window | 19 September - 4 October 2026 |
Asian Games 2026 Medal Tally
Check the latest Asian Games 2026 medal standings with country-wise rankings, gold medals, total medals and India's current position.
Junior Medals: Asian and World Podiums
Rajat Ruhal first made his mark on the age-group circuit as a heavyweight. He won a bronze medal in the 125kg category at the U20 Asian Championships, and then earned a bronze at the U20 World Championships in Amman, Jordan, where India's freestyle team collected five medals in total.
His run in Amman was a comeback story. Rajat lost his opening bout to eventual silver medallist Said Khasan Akhmatov by technical superiority, 0-12, but because Akhmatov reached the final, Rajat got a second chance through the repechage. He beat Bulgaria's Stefan Dimitrov Shavkov 10-0 and Azerbaijan's Yusif Dursunov 14-4, then won the bronze-medal bout 9-8 against Canada's Karanveer Singh Mahil. Sagar Jaglan, who now competes at the Asian Games in the 74kg category, also won a silver medal for India at the same championships.
Notable Junior Results
- U20 Asian Championships: Bronze - 125kg
- U20 World Championships, Amman: Bronze - 125kg (bronze bout: def. Karanveer Singh Mahil of Canada, 9-8)
Stepping Up to the Senior Circuit
Rajat's first senior international tournament was the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb. He lost his opening bout 2-5 to Hungary's more experienced Vlagyiszlav Balcajev, having scored a takedown in the second half but failing to find another attack in the closing minute.
Heavyweight wrestling rewards experience, and 2026 has been the year Rajat started to turn exposure into results. At the Budapest Ranking Series, he lost to Poland's Kamil Kosciolek in the quarter-finals, then came through the repechage by beating South Korea's Gwanuk Kim 8-4. That set up a bronze-medal bout against Mason Parris of the USA, which Rajat won by injury default after Parris was unable to compete.
Rajat Ruhal: Career Highlights
Asian Championships Bronze - 125kg
World Championships Bronze - 125kg
Budapest Ranking Series Bronze - 125kg
| Event | Result |
|---|---|
| U20 Asian Championships | Bronze - 125kg |
| U20 World Championships, Amman | Bronze - 125kg |
| 2025 World Championships, Zagreb | Senior international debut - lost first round to Vlagyiszlav Balcajev (HUN), 2-5 |
| 2026 Asian Games selection trials, Lucknow | Won 125kg berth (def. Dinesh Dhankhar, 10-6) |
| 2026 Budapest Ranking Series | Bronze - 125kg |
| Asian Games | Debut - 2 October 2026, Nagoya (125kg): lost round of 16 to Yedige Kassimbek (KAZ), 3-8 |
How He Earned His Nagoya Ticket
The Wrestling Federation of India held its Asian Games selection trials in Lucknow on 31 May 2026, with wrestlers across all weight categories competing for places. In the men's 125kg category, Rajat Ruhal beat Dinesh Dhankhar 10-6 in the final, an upset over one of the favourites, to book his spot in the Indian squad.
Dinesh is a fellow 125kg wrestler who had previously competed at the senior World Championships and won a bronze medal at the 2025 Asian Championships, which made the result at the trials a notable one for the 125kg division.
Why His Asian Games Debut Matters
- A first Asian Games appearance for a heavyweight whose first senior international event was only in September 2025
- A direct reward for beating the favourite at the Lucknow selection trials
- A first test against some of the strongest 125kg wrestlers in Asia, ending in a 3-8 round of 16 loss to U20 world champion Yedige Kassimbek
- Part of India's five-member men's freestyle line-up in Nagoya, alongside Sujeet Kalkal, Sagar Jaglan, Aman Sehrawat and Deepak Punia
Rajat Ruhal's rise has been quick: from U20 Asian and World Championship bronze medals to a senior World Championships debut in 2025, a selection-trial win over Dinesh Dhankhar and a Ranking Series podium in 2026. His Asian Games debut on 2 October ended in a round of 16 defeat to Yedige Kassimbek, but it was the first major multi-sport test for a young heavyweight who is still gaining experience at the senior level. His full international record is tracked on his United World Wrestling profile.