New Delhi: There are some bouts that change the course of a wrestler’s career. For Sujeet Kalkal, that moment came against Iran’s Paris Olympics silver medallist Rahman Amouzad Khalili at the world championships last year. Sujeet, the rank outsider in a very tough a 65kg draw, put Amouzad in all sorts of trouble, and though the Indian eventually lost narrowly (5-6), it was the start of something exciting for him.
He was the only wrestler to take points off the dominating Amouzad, who, after surviving the intense quarter-final clash, became world champion. Sujeet returned without a medal but with tons of belief in his abilities.
There has been a dramatic turnaround in his fortunes. He is on a sensational 15-0 winning streak, which includes titles in the U23 World Championships and the Asian Wrestling Championships. At the Asian Games, therefore, world No.2 Sujeet will be one of the title favourites.
In men’s freestyle, Sujeet and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat will be India’s two strong contenders. Aman too has hit good form, winning the 57kg gold medal at the international ranking series in Budapest in July. Earlier this year, Aman competed in the non-Olympic 61kg class and won silver at the Asian Championships. Ahead of the Asian Games, he has dropped back to the 57kg category.
But their paths will be anything but easy. The stranglehold of Japan, Iran and North Korea make it a minefield of a draw in 57kg and 65kg. Sujeet’s biggest opponent will be Japan’s reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka, besides world and Asian medallist Umidjon Jalolov of Uzbekistan, Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan and Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadeh, all coming with top titles and carrying significant pedigree from wrestling nations.
Aman too will have to walk through fire to ensure a gold in the lower division. World champion Han Chong-song of North Korea and Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev, an Olympic and world medallist, are the biggest threats in a 21-wrestler field. Iran’s Ali Momeni, Kazakhstan’s Nurdanat Aitanov and Mongolia’s Davaabandi Munkh-Erdene are the others who are likely to pose a challenge. Abdullaev brings strong international credentials, but Aman has the ability and experience to challenge him for gold. Japan’s Yamato Ogawa could also spring a surprise.
“Asia has been dominating these lower weight categories and some of the top wrestlers will be at the Asian Games. But Sujeet and Aman both have the potential to win titles,” says Dayanand Kalkal, Sujeet’s father and a coach who introduced his son to the sport.
“Sujeet is in good form. He had a knee issue and therefore had to withdraw from the Ulaanbaatar ranking series in June, but he has recovered now. This will be a big challenge for him. He has been working on speed and flexibility,” Kalkal told HT.
The 24-year-old Sujeet has been technically good, but he has now gained strength and power. No one since Bajrang Punia has shown such form in 65kg. Punia won the 65kg gold at the 2018 Asian Games, which marked the start of his peak years. Over the next four years, he was among the world’s best in the weight class, winning Tokyo Olympics bronze and three of his four world championship medals in that period.
Since then, India has struggled to find his replacement. Sujeet came up a few years later and showed promise to take on the mantle. He narrowly missed the Paris Olympics quota, but has brilliantly stepped up since. A memorable performance at the Asian Games would help him reach the next level ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualifiers.
Deepak Punia, the Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist, has moved up to 97kg and has the experience to topple big names. It will be interesting to watch how promising Sagar Jaglan fares in 74kg.
Doping cases have been a dampener for the men’s wrestling squad, with two Greco-Roman wrestlers and one freestyle competitor dropped.
