Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 01:14pm on 02 Oct 2026,Friday Sports
Sujeet Kalkal completed a remarkable comeback to win India’s first wrestling gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, defeating Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the men’s 65kg freestyle final. Kalkal had trailed 2-9 before scoring eight unanswered points to clinch victory. Earlier, he had beaten Japan’s Kotaro Kiyooka, the reigning Olympic champion, in a tense 3-3 semi-final. Kalkal advanced on criteria after scoring the bigger move, earning a place in the final against Kudiev. Within a few hours, the Indian wrestler had overcome both an Olympic champion and a seven-point deficit. The victory delivered the biggest title of his young career and India’s first wrestling gold at the 2026 Asian Games.
