‘He Did Not Give Him Any Space’: How Sujeet Kalkal Beat Olympic Champion Kiyooka

Sujeet Kalkal produced one of the biggest performances of his young career on Friday, defeating reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan to book his place in the men's freestyle 65kg final at the Asian Games 2026.

In a fiercely contested semifinal in Japan, neither wrestler was willing to give away much. The bout remained extremely close throughout, eventually ending 3-3, with Sujeet advancing on criteria. The victory secured him at least a silver medal and gave India a shot at reclaiming the Asian Games 65kg title.

Sujeet's coach, Kuldeep Singh Sehrawat, described the contest as a major test against one of the strongest wrestlers in the category.

"The bout was very good. The opponent was the world's number one and Olympic champion. It was a good match. Sujeet scored two points. There was a situation where Sujeet lost the referee's favour. Sujeet should have got a balance time.
But in the entire bout, Sujeet was not negative at all. He did a leg attack. He scored only one point in the leg attack."

The result was particularly significant given Kiyooka's status as Japan's Olympic champion and the fact that he was competing on home soil. Sujeet had to remain composed in a bout where even the smallest opening could have changed the outcome.

According to Sehrawat, the Indian camp had specifically prepared for the possibility of facing a Japanese opponent, with Sujeet's attacking game and ground position receiving particular attention.

When asked whether the team had made any special preparations for Kiyooka, the coach said:

"Yes. We had already prepared for the bout. We had prepared for the bout; that's why Sujeet had a strong attack. His ground position is very good. Sujeet's attack in the right leg saved him. This was the biggest victory of the bout. He did not give him any space."

That preparation was evident as Sujeet refused to allow Kiyooka to dictate the pace. Rather than becoming defensive after the scores tightened, the Indian wrestler continued looking for opportunities and stayed committed to his attacking approach.

The win also underlined Sujeet's rapid rise in the 65kg category. The reigning U23 World Champion had already established himself as one of the leading wrestlers in the division before arriving in Japan. Earlier this year, he won the Asian Championships and briefly rose to world No.1 in the UWW rankings.

Sujeet's journey to the final began with a difficult opening against Afghanistan's Omar Zazai. The Indian wrestler fell 0-3 behind early but responded emphatically, taking control of the contest and completing a 13-3 technical superiority victory.

There was little drama in his quarterfinal. Sujeet dominated Iran's Abbas Ebrahimzadehssavadkouhi and ended the bout 10-0 by technical superiority.

The semifinal, however, demanded a completely different level of discipline. Facing an Olympic champion in front of his home crowd, Sujeet stayed composed and secured a 3-3 win on criteria.

His route to the final reflects the quality of the challenge he has overcome, with both his technical superiority wins and his narrow semifinal triumph showcasing different aspects of his wrestling.

Sujeet now has the opportunity to restore India's hold over the Asian Games 65kg title.

Yogeshwar Dutt won gold in the category at the 2014 Asian Games, before Bajrang Punia successfully defended India's position at the top with another gold in 2018. India did not finish on the podium in the event at the following edition.

Sujeet can now become the next Indian champion in one of freestyle wrestling's most competitive weight classes.

Standing between him and gold is Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev. The two wrestlers are familiar with each other, having met earlier this year in the Asian Championships, where Sujeet prevailed 7-2. United World Wrestling's account of that bout highlighted Sujeet's sequence of takedowns in the second period as he pulled away from Kudiev.

For Sujeet's coach, that previous victory provides confidence heading into the gold medal bout.

"Sujeet has already defeated this wrestler in the final bout in this year at the Ranking Series. He is confident.
We have a good chance of winning."

Now, after overcoming an Olympic champion in a tense semifinal, Sujeet has one final challenge ahead of him.

A victory over Kudiev would not only give him his maiden Asian Games gold medal but would also add another major chapter to the rapid rise of one of India's most exciting young freestyle wrestlers.