Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal was named the ‘best male athlete’ from India at Asian Games 2026 after winning gold in the men’s 65kg freestyle event.
Published: October 7, 2026, 1:32 PM IST
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Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal(Photo: IANS)
Asian Games 2026: Sujeet Kalkal is only 23 years of age and has ended his maiden appearance in the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya as the ‘best male athlete’ out of 85 medallists from IndiaKalkal was named as the inaugural recipients of ‘Raja Randhir Singh Award’ instituted by the Indian Olympic Association for the best male athlete at Asian Games from this edition.
Kalkal was one of the 21 Indian gold medallist at the Asian Games 2026 after claiming the top spot in the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling event on his debut in the eventThe wrestler from Imlota in Haryana spoke to India.com in an interaction facilitated by Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Wednesday.
But the Asian Championships 2026 gold medallist almost didn’t take up the sport till late in his careerHe spent more time playing football and engaged with gymnastics before hitting the matSujeet’s father Dayanand also encourage his son to play football in his early years.
“In my childhood, I used to play football and gymnastics to set up my base for other sportsIt helped me develop my fitness for taking up wrestling laterYe saare sports mere base banane ki activities the (All these sports were meant to set up base for wrestling,” Sujeet Kalkal told India.com.
Forgive me for still having an Asian Games hangover, but as I start this week, one story from the Games keeps coming back to me.
Sujeet Kalkal was 9-2 down with less than a minute & a half left.
Most of us have an inner voice that does the maths at a moment like this.
I certainly admit to having such a voice.
It assesses the odds and tells us when the rational thing is to accept defeat.
Sujeet clearly has another voiceOne that says: Not yet.
He kept going9-2 became 10-9And an Asian Games gold.
The lesson goes well beyond the wrestling mat.
When I look back, I realise that some of my key successes in business came when I listened to my other voice that fought the rational one and simply refused to throw in the towel.
There are times to listen to reasonAnd there are times to tell it to wait.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
#MondayMotivation
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 5, 2026
Sujeet was also a school topper till Grade 12 before switching his focus to wrestling“Just like wrestling, when I was studying, I had my full focus on itMy father always believed that an educated person’s mind will always be more focusedI didn’t want to be an IITian or an engineer, it was just to ensure that I have a proper educational background,” Sujeet said.
But apart from the highs of Asian Games 2026 he has also endured the lows of missing out on Paris Olympics 2024In 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.
“You can’t keep focusing on the pastJo cheez ho gaya, usse jaane doMissing out on Paris Olympics was probably God’s wish,” the 23-year-old Indian grappler said.
The Asian Games gold medallist is now aiming to return with the same medal from the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 in a couple of years time.
“The Olympics is the dream of every sportspersonTo become an Olympic champion, to keep our country’s flag at the topSo, if we are preparing for the Olympics, then go for gold,” Sujeet said about his goals.
Sujeet Kalkal looks to continue his aggressive style
The Indian grappler now hopes to work on improving his ‘ground game’ while continuing his aggressive style as he prepares for World Wrestling Championships 2026 set to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan later this month.
“World Championships are definitely even tougher than OlympicsThere are no specific preparations for them but some distraction was of course there after coming back from Asian Games 2026 and having to attend various events,” Sujeet Kalkal, who is on an unbeaten streak in 2026, said.
On areas that he needs to improve, Sujeet Kalkal said, “First of all, the situations that frequently come in my bouts, I have to work on those moreOn the ground, my coach has told me that there is a little weakness, so in the future, I will attack from the ground and defend well.”
