Stories
From Engineer Aspirant to Gold Medalist: Sujeet Kalkal Wins Big at Asian Games.
- •Sujeet Kalkal secured India's 15th gold medal in the 65 kg freestyle wrestling category at the Asian Games 2026.
- •He defeated Tajikistan's Abdulmajid Kudiev 10-9, making a remarkable comeback from a 2-9 deficit.
- •Hailing from Imlota village in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, the 23-year-old Sujeet chose wrestling over engineering.
- •Despite scoring 90% in his 12th exams, he pursued his passion for wrestling with family support.
- •Prior to the Asian Games, Sujeet won gold at the U-23 World Championship and two U-23 Asian titles.
Key Questions Answered
Sujeet Kalkal won India's 15th gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 in the 65 kg freestyle wrestling category by defeating Tajikistan's Abdulmajid Kudiev 10-9. He made a remarkable comeback after trailing 2-9 in the first half to secure India's first wrestling gold at the games since 2018.
Hailing from Imlota village in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, the 23-year-old Sujeet wanted to pursue wrestling since childhood. Although he scored 90 percent in his 12th-grade exams and his family initially expected him to prepare for the JEE for engineering, Sujeet chose to follow his passion for wrestling instead.
Before winning gold at the Asian Games, Sujeet captured the gold medal in the freestyle 65 kg category at the U-23 World Championship by defeating Uzbekistan's Umidjon Jalolov 10-0. He also won two U-23 Asian titles in 2022 and 2025, alongside a U-20 Asian Championship gold in 2022.
