Sujeet Kalkal Wins Gold at Asian Games 2026 in Men's 65kg Wrestling
Sujeet Kalkal won gold in the men's freestyle 65kg at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, beating Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the final on 2 October 2026 after trailing 2-9 with about a minute and 40 seconds left. He scored the winning points with 11 seconds remaining. It is India's first Asian Games wrestling gold since Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat won at Jakarta-Palembang 2018.
Path to gold: The 23-year-old from Imlota village in Haryana's Bhiwani district, the 2026 Asian champion, beat Afghanistan's Sayed Omar Zazai 13-3 in the round of 16, Iran's Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi 10-0 in the quarter-final, and reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan 3-3 on criteria in the semi-final.
Sujeet Kalkal at the Asian Games 2026: Gold Medal Match Details
This was Sujeet Kalkal's first Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or Olympic appearance, despite already being a U23 World champion and the 2026 Asian champion in his category. He competed on the third day of India's wrestling campaign in Nagoya (30 September to 3 October) and won all four bouts to take the title.
Semi-final: Sujeet Kalkal beat Kotaro Kiyooka 3-3 on criteria
The semi-final against Japan's reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka, in front of a home crowd, was the toughest test before the final. Kiyooka led 2-0 after the first period, but Sujeet scored three points in the second period. With the bout level at 3-3, the Indian was awarded the win for scoring the last point.
Final: Sujeet Kalkal beat Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9
Kudiev's fast start: The Tajik wrestler scored first by throwing Sujeet out of the ring for two points, then took hold of his legs for two more to lead 4-0. Sujeet answered with a two-pointer, but Kudiev still led 5-2 in the first period.
9-2 down: In the second period Kudiev took Sujeet down and flipped him over for a four-point move to open a 9-2 lead, with about a minute and 40 seconds left.
The comeback: Sujeet then produced takedown after takedown. A big takedown with 1:20 left, followed by another, cut the gap to 6-9. He kept scoring two-pointers and took the lead, sealing the 10-9 win with 11 seconds to go.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Men's Freestyle Wrestling, 65kg |
| Date | 2 October 2026 |
| Venue | Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre, Minato Ward, Nagoya |
| Result | Gold medal (beat Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9) |
| Overall Games Window | 19 September - 4 October 2026 |
Sujeet's gold was India's 75th medal of the Games at that point, including 15 golds. It was followed on 3 October by Aman Sehrawat's gold, silvers for Antim Panghal and Nitesh Siwach, and bronzes for Deepak Punia and Sunil Kumar, giving India six wrestling medals in Nagoya.
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.
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | Sayed Omar Zazai (Afghanistan) | Won 13-3, technical superiority |
| Quarter-final | Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi (Iran) | Won 10-0, technical superiority |
| Semi-final | Kotaro Kiyooka (Japan), reigning Olympic champion | Won 3-3 on criteria (last point) |
| Final | Abdulmazhid Kudiev (Tajikistan) | Won 10-9 (Gold), from 2-9 down |
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.
From Imlota to the Raipur Akhada
Sujeet Kalkal was born on 5 November 2002 in Imlota, a village in Haryana's Bhiwani district, a region with a deep wrestling culture that has produced generations of India's top grapplers. His earliest training came from his own father, Dayanand Kalkal, who took on the role of his first coach and instilled the discipline and technical grounding that would define his career.
The family eventually relocated to Sonepat so Sujeet could train full-time at the Raipur Akhada, a move that sharpened his competitive focus and set him on the path toward senior international wrestling. It was a deliberate, unglamorous climb built on solid defence and improving mat movement rather than any single breakthrough moment.
Sujeet Kalkal Age
Sujeet Kalkal is 23 years old as of October 2026, born on 5 November 2002.
Filling Bajrang Punia's Shoes and Challenging the System
Sujeet's rise has unfolded in the 65kg category long associated with Bajrang Punia, a Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist and four-time World Championships medallist. Breaking into that space meant not just beating opponents on the mat but, at times, challenging the system around them: in 2023, as U23 Asian champion, Sujeet publicly questioned the trial exemption granted to Bajrang Punia ahead of the Asian Games, arguing for fair selection processes for the next generation of wrestlers, a stand that drew national attention to a wrestler still establishing himself.
His first major senior title came in 2022, with gold at the U23 Asian Championships in Bishkek and at the Tunis Ranking Series, where he defeated American Yianni Diakomihalis 8-2. The years that followed saw him alternate between promise and setback: a bronze at the 2024 U23 World Championships in Tirana, a tight loss to USA's Zain Retherford at the 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Istanbul that ended his Paris 2024 hopes, and a disappointing early exit at the 2025 Asian Championships in Amman.
2025-26: The Breakthrough
What followed that Amman setback was the best stretch of Sujeet's career. He won gold at the Budapest Grand Prix in July 2025, defeating a quality field that included Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Islam Dudaev 11-0. A month later, at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, he lost two desperately close bouts, 5-7 to America's Real Woods and 5-6 to Iran's Rahman Amouzad, finishing 8th but announcing himself against the best in the world.
The breakthrough was confirmed in October 2025, when Sujeet won his first world title at the U23 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia, defeating Uzbekistan's Umidjon Jalolov by technical superiority. He carried that form into 2026, winning Grand Prix golds in Tirana and Zagreb before gold at the 2026 Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, again beating Jalolov, to become the first Indian wrestler to win the continental 65kg title since Bajrang Punia in 2019. The Asian Games gold in Nagoya came six months later.
Key Senior Results
- 2026, Nagoya: Gold, Asian Games men's freestyle 65kg - beat Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka in the semi-final and Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the final
- 2026, Bishkek: Gold, Asian Wrestling Championships - India's first continental 65kg title since 2019
- 2025, Novi Sad: Gold, U23 World Wrestling Championships - his first world title
- 2025, Zagreb: 8th place, World Wrestling Championships (two bouts lost by a single point)
- 2025, Budapest: Gold, Grand Prix - def. Olympic bronze medallist Islam Dudaev 11-0
Sujeet Kalkal: Career Highlights
U23 World Champion 65kg
Asian Champion 65kg
Asian Games Gold 65kg
| Event | Result |
|---|---|
| 2022 U23 Asian Championships, Bishkek | Gold - 65kg |
| 2022 Tunis Ranking Series | Gold - 65kg |
| 2024 U23 World Championships, Tirana | Bronze - 70kg |
| 2025 Grand Prix, Budapest | Gold - 65kg |
| 2025 U23 Asian Championships, Vung Tau | Gold - 65kg |
| 2025 U23 World Championships, Novi Sad | Gold - 65kg |
| 2026 Grand Prix, Zagreb & Tirana | Gold - 65kg (both) |
| 2026 Asian Wrestling Championships, Bishkek | Gold - 65kg |
| 2026 Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya | Gold - 65kg (beat Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9) |
Why Sujeet Kalkal's Asian Games Gold Matters
- India's first Asian Games wrestling gold since Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat in 2018
- A gold won on his first Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or Olympic appearance
- A semi-final win over reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka in front of a home crowd in Nagoya
- A final won from 2-9 down, with the winning point scored 11 seconds before the end
A continuation of the broader story of India's wrestling campaign in Nagoya, alongside teammates like Aman Sehrawat and Sagar Jaglan.
Sujeet Kalkal's road to Nagoya runs through a village akhada in Bhiwani, a father who coached him from the start, and a public stand for fairer trials taken before he had the titles to back it up. He arrived with those titles in hand, a U23 World crown and a 2026 Asian Championship gold, and left the Games as the Asian champion at the senior level. His full international record is tracked on his Wikipedia profile.