Asian Games 2026: Sujeet Kalkal Stuns Olympic Champion Kotaro Kiyooka, Storms Into 65kg Final

New Delhi, Oct 2: Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal produced a stunning comeback to defeat Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan and storm into the men's 65kg gold medal bout at the Asian Games on Friday. Sujeet, who trailed after the opening period, held his nerve in a tightly contested semifinal to secure a place in the final on criteria.

Kiyooka took an early 2-0 lead and appeared to have the advantage, but Sujeet responded strongly in the second period, scoring three points while restricting the Japanese wrestler to one. With the bout ending 3-3, the Indian was declared the winner because he had registered the bigger scoring move. The victory marks a significant achievement for Sujeet, who will now compete for the gold medal against Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev.

Sujeet had been equally impressive in the earlier rounds. He began his campaign with a 13-3 technical superiority victory over Afghanistan's Sayed Omar Zazai. After conceding an early two-pointer and falling 0-3 behind, Sujeet quickly turned the bout around with a push-out and a shoulder throw before adding further points to seal the win. In the quarterfinal, he delivered an even more dominant performance against Iran's Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi, securing a 10-0 technical superiority victory without conceding a point. Sujeet established an 8-0 lead in the opening period before completing the win with another takedown in the second.

His run to the final has therefore featured three consecutive victories, including two by technical superiority and a dramatic semifinal triumph over an Olympic champion. Sujeet will now have the opportunity to finish his campaign with a gold medal.

Meanwhile, Dipanshi Phogat remained in medal contention in the women's 50kg category after losing 0-10 to Japan's Yui Susaki in the pre-quarterfinals. Susaki's progression to the final allowed Dipanshi to enter the repechage, where she defeated Cambodia's Samnang Dit 10-0. She will face Kazakhstan's Zeinip Bayanova in the bronze medal bout.

Rajat Ruhul and Priya Malik, meanwhile, were eliminated after losing their respective pre-quarterfinal bouts.