Sujeet Kalkal wins first wrestling gold for India at 2026 Asian Games

The gold medal comes in the same weight class that Bajrang Punia and Yogeshwar Dutt had made their own in the past. Yogeshwar and Bajrang had won golds in the same weight category in the 2014 and 2018 editions. Bajrang had also claimed a bronze medal in 65kg at the Tokyo Olympics.

The gold medal will also lift the spirits of Indian wrestlers after they had not won a single gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Sujeet had defeated Kudiev earlier this year in the Asian Championships.

Who is Sujeet Kalkal?

From the modest village akhada of Imlota, Haryana, Sujeet Kalkal has steadily risen to become one of India’s promising freestyle wrestlers in the fiercely contested 65kg category.

Born on 5 November 2002, Sujeet was introduced to wrestling by his father, Dayanand Kalkal, a former national-level wrestler. He began his training in the village akhada, where limited facilities and access to specialised coaching tested his early development. His move to Sonipat in 2021, where he trained alongside experienced wrestlers, marked an important turning point in his career. Success soon followed. In 2022, Sujeet won a Gold medal in U23 & U20 Asian Championships, before making his mark on the senior circuit with a gold at the UWW Ranking Series in Tunis. His journey has not been without setbacks.

In 2024, he missed the Asian Olympic Qualifier after being stranded in Dubai due to flight disruptions caused by flooding, reaching Bishkek only after the weigh-in had begun. Rather than allowing the setback to define him, Sujeet responded with greater determination. His biggest senior breakthrough came with the 2026 Asian Championships title in the 65kg category, a victory that propelled him to World No. 1 in the UWW rankings. Having already overcome limited beginnings and difficult setbacks, Sujeet now steps onto the Asian Games stage for the first time in 2026—ready to turn his growing promise into a defining performance.