CHENNAI/NAGOYA: On Mat C at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center, India's freestyle wrestler Sujeet Kalkal was about to face the biggest test of his career on Friday. Reigning Olympic champion and local favourite Kotaro Kiyooka was standing between him and the 2026 Asian Games final in the 65kg weight category. The 23-year-old from Haryana has been in red-hot form but victories over Japanese rivals have traditionally been few and far between for Indian wrestlers.
As expected, the match No 189 turned out to be a battle of nerves with both the wrestlers not ready to give an inch. Kiyooka, however, used all his experience to earn two technical points and secure a 2-0 lead after the end of the first period. On most of the occasions, even a slender lead of 2-0 proves decisive if the contest turns technical. Making a comeback in such a bout is never an easy proposition.
Sujeet, however, had different plans as he has prepared for such a situation. And an opportunity arose when the Japanese attacked his right leg. Sujeet not only thwarted the attack but got behind Kiyooka to execute a two-pointer. He also succeeded in earning a technical point, levelling the score 3-3. The contest ended 3-3 in the regulation time but Sujeet was declared winner on criteria (for executing the highest scoring move).
"The Japanese wrestler usually attacks the right leg. We have prepared for it. The plan was not to let him succeed in his move," Kuldeep Singh, Sujeet's coach, who is in Nagoya, told this daily. "Avoiding leg attack and ground position were the key and Sujeet did it successfully. Once the Japanese managed to hold his leg but he negated it with the minimum damage by getting out of the playing area thus conceding just a single point," the coach added.
Earlier, Sujeet started the campaign with a win (13-3) by technical superiority against Sayed Omar Zazai of Afghanistan. In the quarterfinals, he kept up his form to beat Iran's Abbas Mohammadrez Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi by technical superiority (10-0) in the quarterfinal to set up a clash against Kiyooka.
The Indian wrestler was up against Abdulmazhid Kudiev of Tajikistan in the final. Sujeet recently defeated Kudiev 7-2 in the semifinal of the 2026 Asian Championships. Sujeet won the gold in the event while Kudiev finished with a bronze medal. But it was not easy in Nagoya as Kudiev led 9-2 after half time. Sujeet's task was cut as he has to make a comeback, which is not easy especially when you are trailing by five points. Much to the amazement of Indian wrestling contingent in Nagoya, the Indian wrestler turned the match on its head in the second period as he bagged two pointers four times to make it 10-9 and secure the gold, India's first in wrestling since 2018 Asian games.
Sujeet has witnessed a meteoric rise in the last three years. From moving the Delhi High Court seeking a trial in the 65kg weight category for the 2022 Asian Games, which was held in 2023, to finishing on the podium in the next edition, life really has come full circle for Sujeet. His famed counterpart Bajrang Punia was then accorded a direct entry in the Asian Games team by the ad-hoc committee, which ran the sport in the country after the Wrestling Federation of India was de-recognised by the sports ministry.
Along with woman wrestler Antim Panghal, Sujeet had challenged the decision in the court. Antim, like Sujeet, was also sidelined as Vinesh Phogat too was given a direct entry into the team in the 53kg weight category without trials. While Antim eventually made it to the team and ended with a bronze medal as Vinesh decided not to compete but Sujeet got no relief from the court. As luck would have it, Bajrang too lost three years ago ending India's domination in the 65kg division. Yogeshwar Dutt had won a gold in the 2014 edition while Bajrang finished on top of the podium in the next Games four years later.
"In the last three years, we have worked on enhancing the strength. He is also more experienced now. That experience in 2023 only made us more determined. It motivated us to do better on the mat rather than focusing on off the field activities," Dayanand Kalkal, Sujeet's father-cum-coach, said.
Speaking on the bout against Kiyooka, Dayanand echoed Kuldeep's sentiments. "The job was to save legs from the Japanese. Besides, Sujeet is younger than the Japanese so we knew we can make a comeback if Sujeet doesn't concede a lot of points. Strength wise, the Japanese is strong but Sujeet got the endurance. He is also more attacking than the Japanese."
Dipansi in contention for bronze
Meanwhile, India's youngest wrestler in the contingent, Dipanshi, who is only 17, kept herself in the medal contention by winning her repechage round against Samnang Dit of Cambodia. She won (10-0) by technical superiority and was scheduled to face Zeinep Bayanova of Kazakhstan for a bronze medal later in the day. Earlier, she lost the qualification bout against multiple-time world champion wrestler from Japan Yui Susaki. As expected Susaki, whom Vinesh Phogat shocked in the Paris Olympics, won 11-0 against the Indian and continued her blazing form to enter the final. Susaki's entry in the final gave Dipanshi a new lease of life in the competition.
Curtains for Priya, Rajat
The other two Indian wrestlers in the fray - Rajat Ruhal (125kg freestyle) and Priya Malik (76kg women wrestling) - were eliminated after losing their respective bouts. The wrestlers, who defeated them, could not make it to the finals thus depriving the Indian wrestlers of a second chance to make it to the medal round via repechage.
