Sujeet Kalkal’s Fightback: How Adversity Fueled India’s Asian Games Gold

For Sujeet Kalkal, fighting back is not just a wrestling skill — it has become a way of life.

Two years ago, the Indian wrestler watched his Olympic dream disappear without even getting the chance to step onto the mat. On his way to Kyrgyzstan for the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament, Kalkal was stranded in Dubai for three days after floods disrupted his journey. By the time he reached the venue, his chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics was already gone.

At the Asian Games in Nagoya, the 23-year-old found himself staring at another seemingly impossible situation.

This time, the stakes were a gold medal.

In the men’s 65kg freestyle final against Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev, Kalkal was trailing 2-9. The clock was running down and the title appeared to be slipping out of his hands.

Then everything changed.

Kalkal launched an extraordinary eight-point comeback, turning a 7-2 deficit into a 10-9 lead. With only seconds remaining, he held his nerve, protected his advantage and completed a remarkable turnaround to become Asian Games champion.

The victory was significant on several fronts. It ended India’s eight-year wait for a men’s wrestling gold at the Asian Games and made Kalkal only the third Indian to win the men’s 65kg freestyle title at the continental event, after Yogeshwar Dutt in 2014 and Bajrang Punia in 2018.

• Yet Kalkal insists there was no secret formula behind his comeback.
• He simply refused to stop fighting.

“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,” Kalkal said in a virtual interaction.

“Our job is to keep trying. In a final, even if I am losing, my duty is to fight until my last breath. That’s what I did in that final. I told myself that whatever strength and energy I had left, I had to give everything. I did that and won the gold for the country.”

THE OLYMPIC DREAM STILL BURNS

The Asian Games gold may be the biggest achievement of Kalkal’s career so far, but he is not ready to stop there.

His next target is the World Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan, followed by the dream that has remained unfinished since 2024 — winning an Olympic medal.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

For Kalkal, the Olympic dream is not simply about winning a medal. It is also about returning to the stage he was denied two years ago.

WHEN A MEDAL BECOMES DIWALI

The World Championships will take place from October 24 to November 1, meaning Kalkal could once again be competing during the Diwali period. It is a familiar sacrifice for the wrestler. Over the past few years, he has rarely been home for Diwali or Holi because competitions and training have kept him away.

But Kalkal has a different definition of celebration.

“For a sportsperson, any achievement is itself a celebration. If I achieve something like winning gold for the country at the Asian Games, that is my Diwali,” he said. His father, too, has always reminded him that success on the mat can make up for missing celebrations at home.

“My father always tells me, ‘If you bring home gold, that automatically becomes Diwali and Holi for us. Don’t worry about anything else.'” “This time too, there is going to be a competition around Diwali. I know I’ll be competing then. So if I win gold for the country, that will be Diwali for me.”

From missing the Paris Olympics to producing a last-gasp comeback for Asian Games gold, Kalkal’s journey has been defined by setbacks and resilience. And if his latest triumph is any indication, the wrestler who refused to give up in Nagoya may have plenty more comebacks — and celebrations — ahead.