Asian Games-bound Sujeet Kalkal wins 65kg at national trials in Lucknow for 2026 World Championships

World No. 1 Sujeet Kalkal won the 65kg freestyle title at the national selection trials in Lucknow on Tuesday as athletes vied for places for the Senior World Wrestling Championships 2026. The world championships are scheduled to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1, 2026.

Alongside Kalkal, Yash, Sachin and Abhimanyu were among the other top finishers at the trials, which set up a final trial showdown with the Asian Games-bound contingent to determine berths for the Astana championships. The event in Lucknow covered multiple Olympic and Greco-Roman weight classes, while trials in the four non-olympic weight categories will be held at a later date.

Kalkal defeated Anujj Kumar 8-3 to claim the 65kg freestyle crown in Lucknow. The report identifies Kalkal as the World No. 1 grappler and records his victory scoreline as 8-3.

In men’s freestyle other finals, Yash beat Deepak 10-4 to take the 74kg title and Rahul secured the 57kg crown with an 11-4 win over Akshay Dhere. Pushpendar Dalal prevailed 10-4 over Himanshu Antil in the 86kg final, Vicky edged Parveen Kumar 3-2 at 97kg, and Jaspooran Singh defeated Rohit 5-1 to win the 125kg division.

Greco-Roman finals produced distinct results: Harsh recorded a 9-0 victory over Lalit in the 60kg class, Sachin beat Karanjit Singh 6-5 at 67kg, and Luvpreet Singh overcame Vikas 10-8 in the 77kg bout. Rohit won the 87kg category 5-2 against Rohit Bura, Abhimanyu beat Virensh Kundu 12-3 at 97kg, and Joginder defeated Gursewak by fall to claim the 130kg title.

WFI President Sanjay Singh commented on the trials, saying, “Today’s trials in Lucknow proved just how competitive men’s wrestling has become in India. The sheer effort and technical skill displayed by the athletes assure us that our reserve bench is stronger than ever. I congratulate today’s top performers and expect them to carry this same momentum forward.”

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The winners from these trials will meet the Asian Games-bound contingent in a final selection trial to decide berths for the Senior World Wrestling Championships 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan, which run from October 24 to November 1, 2026.