CHENNAI: Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal had endured tough times in the last couple of years. He had to move court to contest the direct entry given to Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia by the ad-hoc committee for the Asian Games in 2023.
A few months later, he had to miss the Asian Olympic Games Qualifier in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as he got stranded in Dubai due to inclement weather. A month later he lost the bronze medal bout in the World Olympic Games Qualifier to miss out on the chance to represent the country at the 2024 Paris Games.
It was a difficult period for the athlete especially as he had just graduated to the senior level less than a year ago. The 23-year-old from Haryana, however, is ready for the new Olympic cycle and wants to make sure he doesn't have to undergo such tough times by polishing his skills with each passing day. He has already booked a place in the national team by winning the selection trials in the 65kg.
"A medal at the upcoming Asian Championships scheduled in Amman (scheduled from March 25-30) will be the first target," Sujeet told this daily.
Getting back to the wrestling mat was difficult last year but Sujeet didn't let the disappointments overtake his future aspirations. A training camp in Yokohama, Japan in November last year worked wonders for the wrestler as he improved his game by leaps and bounds. "It was a difficult period especially not qualifying for the Olympics. But I then attended a training camp in Japan. There were few areas where I was lagging behind. I worked on those aspects. The power was missing somehow so I worked on it. The explosive workouts I did there under the guidance of the Japanese coaches improved me as a wrestler. It gave me an edge over my competitors here in India. The sparring partners in Japan were renowned wrestlers which also helped a lot," said Sujeet.
He missed the national championships and the subsequent 2025 National Games but staked his claim for the selection trials held by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by clinching a gold medal in the Federation Cup organised early this month. "A medal under your belt always helps and I was no different. It gave me confidence for the trials."
Sujeet's family lives in Dadri, Haryana but his father-cum-coach, Dayanand Kalkal, has shifted with him to Sonepat so that he can focus on wrestling and trains regularly at Raipur Akhada. It also meant he had to stay away from his mother Manjeet Devi and twin sister Sujata for months. Sujeet, however, is not complaining as his target is the 2028 Olympics. "After the Asian meet, the World Championships is the next target. I might have missed the 2024 Games but will give my best to qualify and represent the country at the 2028 Olympics. I have enough time to achieve the target as the journey has just begun," Sujeet signed off.
