Nitesh Siwach switched from kabaddi to wrestling and overcame injury and a two-year breakNow, he eyes Asian Games glory on his debut.
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Nitesh Siwach (Photo: IIS)
For Nitesh Siwach, the road to his first Asian Games has been filled with twists, setbacks and second chancesThe 23-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler is now preparing to represent India, but his sporting journey could have taken a very different route.
When the Asian Games trials were held, Nitesh’s father travelled to watch him competeAfter the trials, he gave his son a simple message that has stayed with him.
“My father told me, now there is no looking back, you have to bring a medal at the Asian Games, and after that, at the Olympics and the World Championships tooThen he said, ‘this is a very good beginning for you’That line has stayed with me since that day,” Nitesh recalls.
From Kabaddi to Wrestling
Nitesh first went to Pratap School in 2012 to play kabaddiHowever, he found wrestlers training there and eventually followed his father’s dream of seeing him become a wrestler.
“I started wrestling in 2012See, my father always had this dream that I should become a wrestlerI used to play kabaddi, and I had actually gone to Pratap School to play kabaddi, but we had wrestling there tooBecause it was my father’s dream, I got into wrestling instead,” he says.
He trained for two years before a knee operation forced him away from wrestlingHe then spent nearly two years helping his father, who worked as a milkman.
Six months that changed everything
Nitesh eventually decided that he wanted another chanceHe asked his family to give him six months to return to wrestling.
“I went to my mother and father, to my whole family actually, and I asked them, just give me six months, let me try wrestling again,” he says.
His family agreed, and Nitesh soon won a medal at the School NationalsThat result gave his career a fresh start.
Since then, he has continued to improveHe won bronze at the 2025 Asian Championships before taking silver in 2026A three-week training camp in Uzbekistan also helped him work on his ground wrestling.
“The camp in Uzbekistan was great exposure for us, it has given us a lot of confidence that we can perform well at the Asian GamesI specifically worked on my ground wrestling during this camp, and I feel I have become stronger in that area now,” he says.
Nitesh ready to handle the pressure
Nitesh knows there will be expectations in his first Asian GamesNo wrestler from his weight category has won a medal at the Games before, adding another challenge to his debut.
“There is pressure because people say, you can win a medalAnd there is another pressure on top of that, that nobody in my weight category has done well at the Games beforeSo somewhere in my mind, I keep thinking, I have to give my hundred percentBut honestly, this kind of pressure can also pull you back a lotI have waited four years for this, and if I take too much pressure, my performance will drop,” he admits.
He relies on his coaches, parents and his own analysis to stay focusedNitesh watches videos of his training and bouts regularly to see mistakes and improve his game.
IIS support behind his journey
Nitesh has also credited the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) for supporting him with training, travel, nutrition and physiotherapy throughout his journey.
“I am really, really thankful to IIS, whatever I have needed, they have made sure it is taken care ofWhether it is traveling for my training and competitions, my nutrition, physiotherapy, anything at all, they have always supported me and given me everything I have needed,” he said.
Now, with his Asian Games debut approaching, Nitesh has one clear goal for himself and the people who supported him.
“Please pray for me, I will bring a gold medal home for themMein apne desh ka Tiranga lehraunga, aur Rashtragaan bajaunga” he added.
