Nitesh Siwach’s Road From Milk Seller to Asian Games Silver

Greco-Roman wrestler Nitesh Siwach has added an Asian Games silver medal to a journey that once took him from his home village to Panipat each day to sell milk alongside his father. The 23-year-old finished runner-up in the 97kg competition after losing the final to Japan’s Yuri Nakazato, a result that marked another important step in his return to the sport following a knee operation.

Before his international medals, Siwach spent two years working with his father, a milkman, after the operation interrupted his wrestling. He was 15 when he began accompanying his father, travelling from Jagsi village in Haryana’s Panipat district to Panipat for a demanding daily routine. Siwach said the work began at 5am and ended when he returned home at 5pm.

The Asian Games medal matters not only as a major result in the 97kg division, but also as the latest marker in a steady progression for a wrestler who had to seek his family’s permission to resume training. Siwach has now moved from a U23 World Championships bronze in 2022 to an Asian Championships bronze in 2025 and an Asian Games silver.

Two years away from the wrestling mat

Siwach worked as a milkman from 2017 to 2019. His village is 40 km from Panipat, and he described the role as a 12-hour job with no days off. After two years, he decided to ask his family for time to restart the wrestling career that had been put on hold.

“My father is a milkman. When I was 15, I had a knee operation. I started working as a milkman with my father. I used to sell milk every day,” Siwach said after his final bout.

He explained that he had initially been alone at home when his father asked him to come along for the milk-selling work. The routine continued until Siwach made his request to return to sport. “I sold milk for two years. I didn’t have a day off, so I thought of requesting my family. I asked for six months, and then I started wrestling again,” he said.

That decision took him to Pratap School in Kharkhoda, where he trained under teachers Om Prakash Dahiya and Sandeep. Siwach credited both coaches for giving him attention and encouragement, saying they motivated him to aim to become a world champion.

“I haven’t become a world champion yet, but I feel that I will become a world champion one day,” Siwach said.

Medal progression and a Greco-Roman focus

Siwach’s Asian Games run ended with a defeat to Nakazato in the 97kg final, but the silver follows a clear medal sequence. He won bronze at the U23 World Championships in 2022, then claimed another bronze at the Asian Championships in 2025 before improving to silver at the Asian Games.

His route in the sport also differs from the traditional path he was asked about after the final. Siwach said that after the knee operation he began competing in Greco-Roman wrestling and did not consider going to a dangal. Instead, he committed to competing on the mat.

He also expressed hope that Greco-Roman wrestling could be added to the Pro Wrestling League, saying he would request organisers to include the discipline.

At home, Siwach said he mostly eats vegetarian food, including home-made paneer, butter, churma and milk, while also eating chicken at times. For now, though, his focus remains on what can follow the Asian Games silver: continuing the journey that restarted after two years away from the mat and pursuing the world title his coaches encouraged him to target.