The Sujeet Kalkal Asian Games gold medal is the latest chapter in a career shaped by setbacks and comebacks. The 23-year-old Indian wrestler produced a stunning turnaround in the men's 65kg freestyle final in Nagoya, recovering from a 2-9 deficit against Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev to win the gold medal.
The victory came two years after Kalkal suffered a devastating blow to his Olympic dream. While travelling to Kyrgyzstan for the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament, he was stranded in Dubai for three days after floods disrupted his journey. By the time he reached Kyrgyzstan, his opportunity to qualify for the Paris Olympics had effectively disappeared.
Sujeet Kalkal Refuses to Give Up
The Asian Games final initially appeared to be heading towards another disappointment.
Kudiev built a commanding lead, leaving Kalkal trailing 2-9 with time running out. But instead of allowing the situation to overwhelm him, the Indian wrestler launched an extraordinary eight-point scoring spree.
Kalkal overturned the deficit, moved ahead 10-9 and then defended his narrow advantage until the final whistle.
The comeback ended India's eight-year wait for a men's wrestling gold at the Asian Games and placed Kalkal among an elite group of Indian wrestlers. He became only the third Indian to win the men's 65kg freestyle gold at the Asian Games, following Yogeshwar Dutt in 2014 and Bajrang Punia in 2018.
“My Duty Is to Fight Until My Last Breath”
For Kalkal, the key was not allowing his past disappointment to affect his performance.
He said the Paris setback was beyond his control because of the floods, and that his responsibility was simply to continue trying.
His approach in the Asian Games final was equally straightforward: fight until the very end and use every bit of remaining energy.
That mindset helped him produce one of the biggest comebacks of the competition.
Olympics Remain the Ultimate Dream
The Asian Games gold is currently Kalkal's biggest achievement, but the wrestler already has his eyes on bigger targets.
The World Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan are scheduled to begin on October 24, with Kalkal hoping to add another major medal to his growing record.
However, his ultimate goal remains the Olympics.
Kalkal believes nothing can match the achievement of becoming an Olympic champion — particularly after missing the Paris Games in circumstances beyond his control.
For now, he has another powerful motivation: competing around Diwali.
Kalkal said his father has always told him that bringing home a gold medal would itself become Diwali and Holi for the family. After years of missing festivals because of competitions, the wrestler hopes another major medal can become his own celebration.
His Asian Games comeback has already shown that Kalkal knows how to fight when the odds are against him.
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