From Milk Delivery Rounds to Asian Games Dream: Nitesh Siwach Eyes Gold After Wrestling Comeback

For Nitesh Siwach, the road to his first Asian Games has been anything but straightforward. From choosing wrestling almost by chance to spending nearly two years away from the sport and helping his father deliver milk, the 23-year-old's journey has been built on setbacks, second chances and an unwavering belief in his potential.

When the Asian Games trials arrived, Nitesh's father travelled to watch his son compete. After the trials, he offered just one sentence, but it has remained with Nitesh ever since.

"My father told me, 'now there is no looking back, you have to bring a medal at the Asian Games', and after that, at the Olympics and the World Championships too. Then he said, 'this is a very good beginning for you'. That line has stayed with me since that day," Nitesh recalls.

His wrestling journey began in 2012, although it was not his first choice. Nitesh had gone to Pratap School to play kabaddi, but found wrestlers training there. His father's long-standing dream of seeing him become a pehelwan eventually changed his sporting path.

"I started wrestling in 2012. See, my father always had this dream that I should become a wrestler. I used to play kabaddi, and I had actually gone to Pratap School to play kabaddi, but we had wrestling there too. Because it was my father's dream, I got into wrestling instead," he says.

After two years of training, a knee operation forced him out of wrestling. He spent nearly two years away from the mat, helping his father, who worked as a milkman. But eventually, Nitesh asked his family for six months to restart his wrestling career.

"I went to my mother and father, to my whole family actually, and I asked them, just give me six months, let me try wrestling again," he says.

The gamble paid off. He won a medal at the School Nationals within that period, marking the beginning of his second innings.

Since then, Nitesh has progressed steadily, winning bronze at the 2025 Asian Championships before improving to silver in 2026. A three-week camp in Uzbekistan further strengthened his preparation, particularly his ground wrestling.

"The camp in Uzbekistan was great exposure for us, it has given us a lot of confidence that we can perform well at the Asian Games. I specifically worked on my ground wrestling during this camp, and I feel I have become stronger in that area now," he says.

Yet, the expectations are significant. Nitesh knows no wrestler from his weight category has previously won an Asian Games medal.

"There is pressure because people say, you can win a medal. And there is another pressure on top of that, that nobody in my weight category has done well at the Games before. So somewhere in my mind, I keep thinking, I have to give my hundred percent. But honestly, this kind of pressure can also pull you back a lot. I have waited four years for this, and if I take too much pressure, my performance will drop," he admits.

He manages that pressure through conversations with his coaches and parents, while also analysing his own training videos.

"When things are not going well for me, I sit and watch my own videos, to see where I am weak, where I am lacking, where I am making mistakes. I watch every video of my training very carefully and try to fix every small thing I can. I also talk to my coaches, I talk to my parents, and they tell me, don't worry, every two or three months your game changes, sometimes you go down, sometimes you come back up again," he says.

Nitesh also credits the Inspire Institute of Sport for standing by him throughout his journey.

"I am really, really thankful to IIS, whatever I have needed, they have made sure it is taken care of. Whether it is traveling for my training and competitions, my nutrition, physiotherapy, anything at all, they have always supported me and given me everything I have needed," he says.

Now, with his first Asian Games finally here, Nitesh has one promise for those who supported him, that is listen to the Indian national anthem in Japan.