Sujeet Kalkal Rallies From 2-9 Down for Asian Games Gold

Sujeet Kalkal won Asian Games gold in the men’s freestyle 65kg division on Friday after producing a remarkable 10-9 comeback victory over Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev in the final. The Indian trailed 2-9 before scoring eight successive points, completing the turnaround with a decisive takedown in the closing stages and then protecting his one-point advantage.

The title is Kalkal’s first Asian Games gold and caps another major success in a 12-month run that has also included victories at the U23 World Championships, Asian Championships, Zagreb Open and Tirana title. His route to the top of the podium included a semifinal win over Japanese Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka and a dominant quarterfinal display against Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi.

A final comeback from 2-9 down

Kudiev made the stronger start in the gold-medal bout, using arm locks in the first period to limit Kalkal’s attacking opportunities. The Tajik wrestler built a 9-2 lead, leaving Kalkal facing a substantial deficit in the final.

Kalkal gradually found a response through repeated takedown moves from behind. His successful attacks cut the gap to 8-9, setting up a tense finish. With around 20 seconds remaining, he secured the takedown that moved him ahead for the first time at 10-9.

Having taken the lead, Kalkal held off Kudiev’s final efforts to complete the victory. The comeback was the defining moment of a campaign in which he had already negotiated a difficult draw that included Iranian and Japanese opposition.

His opening match against Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai had also required a response. Zazai took a 3-0 lead with a two-point score and a push-out, but Kalkal answered with a push-out and a shoulder throw to lead 5-3. He added further points through another throw and a roll, eventually winning 13-3 by technical superiority.

Technical superiority and a criteria win set up gold

In the quarterfinal, Kalkal defeated Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi by technical superiority without conceding a point. He set the tone within the opening 20 seconds with a shoulder throw. Initially awarded four points, the move was revised to two because Abbas did not land in a danger position.

Kalkal added two more points after coming close to a fall, then countered an Iranian leg attack to establish a 6-0 advantage. He continued to thwart Abbas’s attempts with headlocks and converted another right-leg attack to lead 8-0 at the end of the first period. A takedown early in the second period completed a 10-0 win.

The semifinal against Kiyooka was tighter. Kalkal trailed 0-2 after the first period, but scored three points in the second while Kiyooka added one. The bout finished level at 3-3, with Kalkal advancing on criteria because he had registered the bigger scoring move.

That result gave him the chance to contest the final, where his late surge against Kudiev delivered the gold medal. The victory further extends Kalkal’s strong recent record after his only cited setback in the period came at the Mongolian Open in June, when a knee injury forced him to withdraw.

Elsewhere in the competition, Dipanshi Phogat lost 0-10 by technical superiority to Japan’s Yui Susaki in the women’s 50kg pre-quarterfinal, then won her repechage bout 10-0 against Cambodia’s Samnang Ditand before being pinned by Kazakhstan’s Zeinip Bayanova in the bronze play-off. Rajat exited the men’s 125kg event after a 3-8 loss to Kazakhstan’s Yedige Kassimbekin, while Priya lost 1-6 to Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy in the women’s 76kg pre-quarterfinal.