CHENNAI: Among the new crop of wrestlers in the country, Sujeet Kalkal is definitely the one with the brightest future. The 23-year-old wrestler from Haryana has all the ingredients to be a world beater and his records on the mat this year are testimony to his growing stature. Sujeet once again charted a new path on Tuesday as he became the only Asian Games-bound wrestler to participate in the two-stage selection trials held to pick the Senior World Championships team. Expectedly, he won the trials in the 65kg weight category to confirm his place in the national team for the Worlds.
The Wrestling Federation of India gave wrestlers, who are scheduled to compete at the Asian Games, an option to skip the first stage and compete with the winners in the second and final stage for a place in the team for the Worlds. The selection policy was chalked out keeping the Japan multi-disciplinary event in mind. None of the selected wrestlers except Sujeet took part in the trials. The men's trials for Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers were held at SAI Centre in Lucknow. The trials for women were held at the IG Stadium, New Delhi on Monday.
"After the Asian Games, not much time will be left for the Worlds. We thought it's better to compete in the trials now and get it out of the way so that he can focus solely on the World Championships after returning from Japan," Dayanand Kalkal, Sujeet's father and coach, told this daily. The decision looks meaningful as had Sujeet skipped the trials, he would have to compete in a bout soon after returning from Asian Games and that too in close proximity with the Worlds, which is scheduled from October 24 to November 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. "After Asiad, the World Championships is our target. The event is very important as it helps in gaining seedings for the Olympic qualifying events. A good seeding eventually will help in getting favourable draws in these qualifiers," added the father.
Since the 2025 Worlds, where he finished eighth, Sujeet has not lost a bout, winning a gold in the 2025 U23 World Championship and finishing on top of the podium in two Ranking Series (Zagreb Open and Muhamet Malo Tournament) and Senior Asian Championships. The winning streak ended in the Mongolia Open, also a Ranking Series, in June where his campaign ended without action on the mat due to injury.
However, the father feels Sujeet is more than fit and ready for every challenge the continental event will throw at him. He is currently World No 2 in his weight category with Iranian wrestler Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili being the numero uno. Rahman has decided to skip the Games to focus on the Worlds. In his absence, Umidjon Jalolov from Uzbekistan, World No 3 and local favourites Kotaro Kiyooka, who is World No 6, will be Sujeet's biggest opponents. The Indian defeated Jalolov in the final of the Senior Asian Championships a few months ago. He also defeated Uzbek in the final of the 2025 U23 Worlds 10-0.
In fact, Sujeet defeated his rival from Uzbekistan twice in the U23 Asian Championships, both times 10-0 including in the summit clash. The Indian wrestler's show this year has been envious as he won three gold medals in four competitions. Playing 11 bouts, he scored 96 points while conceding only seven.
Only three years ago, Sujeet had moved the court challenging a decision of the ad-hoc committee, which was managing the day-to-day affairs of the WFI then, to give direct Asian Games entry to Bajrang Punia. The Games are again here but this time Sujeet is one of the biggest medal hopes of the country.
Antim prefers 55kg for Worlds
Meanwhile, two-time Worlds medallist Antim Panghal will compete in the 55kg selection trials instead of her pet category 53kg. A WFI source said she informed the coach about her preference ahead of the trials. She will now face winners of the trials in the 55kg weight category after returning from Japan. This also meant Nishu, who won the trials in 53kg, has confirmed her place in the India team.
Similarly, Manisha, who will compete in Japan in 57kg, will give trials in 59kg. Nisha Dahiya, who was selected for the Asian Games in 68kg, has clarified that she will not compete in the Worlds selection trials. Given the situation, Simran (57kg) and Srishti (68kg) were selected for the World Championships after they won the selection trials in their respective weight categories at IG Stadium, New Delhi on Monday.
Meanwhile, Pushpender Dalal (freestyle 86kg), Sachin (Greco-Roman 67kg) and Joginder (Greco-Roman 130kg) too made their way into the team as Asiad-bound wrestlers in these weight categories have failed dope tests in the past.
Sujeet's show this year
4 competitions
3 medals
11 matches
96 points scored and 7 given
2.21 points per minute
43 minutes on the mat
Winners of Tuesday's trials
Freestyle
57kg: 1st Rahul, 2nd Akshay Dhere
65kg: 1st Sujeet, 2nd Anuj Kumar
74kg: 1st Yash, 2nd Deepak
86kg: 1st Pushpender Dalal, 2nd Himanshu Antil
97kg: 1st Vicky, 2nd Parveen Kumr
125kg: 1st Jaspooran Singh, 2nd Rohit
Greco-Roman
60kg: 1st Harsh, 2nd Lalit
67kg: 1st Sachin, 2nd Karamjit Singh
77kg: 1st Luvpreet Singh, 2nd Vikas
87kg: 1st Rohit, 2nd Rohit Bura
97kg: 1st Abhimanyu, 2nd Viresh Kundi
130kg: 1st Joginder, 2nd Gurshewak