2 min learnApr 17, 2026 11:07 PM IST
Lately topped Asian champion within the males’s freestyle 65kg class, Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal grew to become the world primary wrestler within the newest up to date rankings of the United World Wrestling on Friday.
Sujeet, the reigning U23 World Champion, surged forward of World Champion Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili of Iran and Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan within the rankings.
Final week, the 23-year-old’s 8-1 win within the closing over final 12 months’s World Championship bronze medallist, Uzbekistan’s Umidjon Jalolov, landed India’s first males’s freestyle gold at 65kg since 2019 on the Asian Wrestling championships, ending a seven-year wait in a weight class thought-about the deepest and hardest within the self-discipline. Total, it ended a three-year drought for Indian males’s freestyle gold on the Asians. India has gained gold at 65kg simply twice since 2015 — each occasions by Bajrang Punia, who went on to win bronze on the Tokyo Olympics.
“Successful or shedding isn’t in my arms,” Sujeet instructed UWW. “However it’s my job to offer my finest and I did that. I used to be very assured that I’d win the gold medal.”
After a barely unfortunate and disappointing end on the World Championships final 12 months, Sujeet bounced again in type with the U23 title. Within the 2026 season, he began strongly with 10 wins in three tournaments. He’s nonetheless to lose a bout on this season and has scored 96 factors in ten bouts.
A late bloomer, Sujeet had been visiting the akhara along with his father since childhood, but it surely was solely 5 years in the past that he started taking wrestling significantly. Till then, teachers had been his major focus. Scoring over 90 per cent in Class 12, he as soon as aspired to turn out to be an engineer. However when the time got here to decide on between larger research and the mat, he selected to observe in his father’s footsteps.
Historically, India has executed effectively within the 65-66 kg class with each Sushil Kumar and Bajrang Punia doing effectively within the class successful a number of World Championships medal and Olympic medals. The teenager from Haryana is touted is without doubt one of the brightest Indian wrestling prospects going within the 2028 LA Olympics cycle.
© The Indian Categorical Pvt Ltd