Sujeet Kalkal rallies from 2-9 down to win men's 65kg freestyle gold at Asian Games in Nagoya

Sujeet Kalkal came from a 2-9 deficit to beat Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 and claim the men's 65kg freestyle gold at the Asian Games in Nagoya, the India Today report published on Oct. 8, 2026 said.

Kalkal, 23, had missed the chance to compete at the Paris Olympics two years earlier after floods stranded him in Dubai for three days while en route to the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Kyrgyzstan. He described that episode as beyond control and said he prefers to focus on fighting in the present rather than dwell on the past.

In the Nagoya final, Kalkal trailed 2-9 before producing an eight-point scoring run to move 10-9 ahead and then held on as the clock ran down to secure the gold. The comeback was also shown in a post shared by Olympic Wrestling (@unitedworldwrestling).

Kalkal’s victory ended an eight-year wait for an Indian wrestling gold at the Asian Games, and he became the third Indian to win the men’s 65kg freestyle title, joining Yogeshwar Dutt, the 2014 champion, and Bajrang Punia, who won in 2018.

Speaking in a virtual interaction, Kalkal said: "I don't focus too much on things that have already happened. In Paris, it wasn't really in our hands. It was almost like a natural disaster, there were floods and we couldn't reach the venue. There was nothing we could do about that."

He called the Asian Games gold his biggest achievement so far and outlined his targets beyond Nagoya, saying: "The Asian Games gold is my biggest achievement so far. The World Championships are coming up, and winning there would be an even bigger achievement." "But ultimately, the Olympics are the final stage. Nothing can give you more happiness than becoming an Olympic champion because that is every athlete's dream. That would be the biggest achievement for me," said Sujeet.

Kalkal noted the personal significance of holiday timing and relayed his father's words: "My father always tells me, 'If you bring home gold, that automatically becomes Diwali and Holi for us. Don't worry about anything else.'" He added that he has not been home for Diwali or Holi in recent years because of competitions.

Sujeet will now turn his attention towards the World Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan, which begin on October 24 and run until November 1. The medal matches are expected to take place on the final day, just a few days before Diwali.