Published: October 2, 2026 at 9:54 pm
Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal produced a sensational comeback to win the men’s freestyle 65kg gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after beating Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center on Friday.
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Sujeet was trailing 9-2 with just one minute and 40 seconds remaining in the gold medal bout before launching an extraordinary late fightback. The Indian produced three takedowns in quick succession to reduce the deficit to 9-8.
With Kudiev trying to run down the clock, Sujeet struck again, completing another two-point takedown with just 11 seconds remaining to snatch the lead and the gold medal.
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The victory handed India their first wrestling gold medal at the Asian Games since Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat topped the podium at Jakarta 2018. Bajrang’s title had also come in the men’s 65kg freestyle event.
“I felt like my body wasn’t fully warmed up in the beginning during the first round, but after four or five minutes, I caught my rhythm,” Sujeet said after the final. “I felt a bit of pressure, but I had to manage it. That’s how you become a champion,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Sujeet produced one of the biggest wins of his career by beating Japan’s Kotaro Kiyooka, the reigning Olympic champion, in the semifinals.
Kiyooka, who won the men’s 65kg freestyle title at the Paris 2024 Olympics, led 2-0 after the first period. Sujeet responded with three points in the second as the bout finished 3-3, with the Indian advancing on criteria after scoring the final point.
Sujeet had also been forced to come from behind in his opening bout against Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai, who took an early 3-0 lead.
The Indian did not concede another point, however, and stormed back to win 13-3 by technical superiority in the round of 16. He followed it with another dominant performance in the quarterfinals, beating Islamic Republic of Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi 10-0 by technical superiority, before overcoming Kiyooka for a place in the final.
Sujeet arrived at Aichi-Nagoya as one of India’s leading medal prospects, having won the 2025 U23 World Championships and the 2026 Asian Wrestling Championships in the 65kg category.
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Friday’s gold medal bout was also his second meeting with Kudiev this year. Sujeet had beaten the Tajik wrestler 7-2 in the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Championships before going on to win the continental title.
Dipanshi missed out on the women’s 50kg bronze medal after losing 11-4 to Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova. Pics: X
Dipanshi, meanwhile, missed out on the women’s 50kg bronze medal after losing 11-4 to Kazakhstan’s Zeinep Bayanova. The Indian had reached the medal bout through repechage after beating Cambodia’s Dit Samnang 10-0 by technical superiority.
Priya Malik and Rajat Ruhal were eliminated early on Friday in the round of 16. Priya lost by fall to Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy in the women’s 76kg, while Rajat went down 8-3 to Kazakhstan’s Yedige Kassimbek in the men’s freestyle 125kg.
Neither wrestler entered the repechage after their respective opponents failed to reach the finals.
