Sujeet Kalkal rallies from 2-9 down to beat Kudiev 10-9 and win Asian Games gold

Sujeet Kalkal overturned a 2-9 deficit to score eight points and defeat Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 to claim the Asian Games gold in Japan on October 2, 2026. He told PTI from Japan, "I will put this Asian Games medal above all that I have achieved in my career."

Kalkal’s title capped a tournament in which he grew more authoritative with each round, opening with a convincing victory before producing a spectacular quarterfinal finish. In that quarterfinal he threw Iran's Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi from a standing position inside the first 20 seconds, then progressed to beat Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka in the semifinal. The final presented a very different challenge as he trailed 2-9 before mounting the comeback that secured the gold.

The turnaround in the final saw Kalkal register eight points to complete a 10-9 win and add the Asian Games title to earlier successes at the U23 World and Asian championships and the Zagreb Open. The result followed a campaign where he increasingly imposed himself on opponents and produced decisive moments at critical stages of the draw.

Kalkal explained the slow start in the final, saying, "My body was a bit cool, it took time to warm up the body that is why I could not do well initially in the bout. I was confident to come back even after the score was 2-9, I was confident I will pull it off," told PTI from Japan. He said he never felt the match was beyond reach and executed a sustained surge to overturn the deficit.

The comeback invited comparison with Ravi Dahiya's Tokyo Games semifinal against Nurislam Sanayev, which also featured a similar reversal, and underscored Kalkal’s competitive mindset in the 65kg category. He described his approach to opponents and draws in simple terms: "I do not fear anyone. If I have to win big medals, I have to forget who is in my side of draw, Iran or Japan, I have to beat them all. What is point in overanalysing the draw?" told PTI from Japan.

His father and coach, Dayanand Kalkal, echoed that mentality and stressed the need to defeat top opponents, saying, "Agar champion wrestler banna hai to champion players ko haraana hi padega," Dayanad told PTI from Imlota village. Dayanad also said he missed watching the semifinal because it was not broadcast and added, "I will ask for a recording."

Kalkal acknowledged areas for improvement despite the triumph, conceding early points in bouts as a weakness he must address: "I conceded points early in my bouts and that is not good, we have to work on that aspect," he said. He also tempered talk of dominance with, "I can lose tomorrow also. But I am progressing. And the way I am competing I will be a genuine contender at LA Olympic Games in 2028," he said.

With the Asian Games gold now secured and ranked by Kalkal as the most important medal of his career, he has set his sights on the Los Angeles Olympics; the article states that LA 2028 is now firmly in sight.