“I Should Attack As Much As Possible”: How Sujeet Kalkal Followed His Coach’s Advice To Win Gold

There are victories that come through dominance, and then there are victories that reveal the true character of a champion.

Sujeet Kalkal's Asian Games 2026 gold medal belongs firmly in the latter category.

The Indian wrestler produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the Games to defeat Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the men's freestyle 65kg final, overturning a seven-point deficit with just 1:40 remaining.

With the clock running down and Kudiev seemingly in control, Sujeet refused to surrender. Three rapid takedowns brought him back into contention, reducing the deficit to 9-8. As the Tajik wrestler attempted to protect his advantage and run down the remaining seconds, Sujeet found one final opening.

With only 11 seconds left, he completed another two-point takedown, moved ahead 10-9 and held his nerve to secure one of the most memorable wrestling gold medals in recent Indian sporting history.

It was not merely a gold medal. It was a statement.

For Indian wrestling, the triumph ended a long wait for an Asian Games gold in the men's freestyle category. Sujeet became the first Indian wrestler since Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat in Jakarta in 2018 to stand on top of the Asian Games podium, while his 65kg triumph also echoed Bajrang's historic title in the same weight category.

Later that day, Aman Sehrawat added another wrestling gold in the 57kg category, making the day even more significant for Indian wrestling.

But Sujeet's journey to the top step was anything but straightforward.

The final was not the only time Sujeet had to fight his way back during the competition.

His Asian Games campaign began against Afghanistan's Sayed Omar Zazai, who immediately put the Indian under pressure by taking a 3-0 lead. Sujeet, however, responded emphatically. He conceded no further points and stormed to a 13-3 victory by technical superiority.

The quarter-final was even more convincing.

Against Iran's Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi, Sujeet produced a clinical performance, winning 10-0 by technical superiority and moving into the semi-finals without conceding a single point.

Then came the biggest test of his campaign.

Standing across the mat was Japan's Kotaro Kiyooka, the reigning Olympic champion who had won the men's 65kg freestyle title at Paris 2024.

Kiyooka led 2-0 after the opening period, but Sujeet again refused to panic. He responded with three points in the second period, taking the bout to a tense 3-3 finish. Because Sujeet had scored the final point, he advanced on criteria and secured his place in the gold-medal bout.

It was a victory that carried enormous significance and perhaps offered the clearest indication that Sujeet was ready for something special.

The gold-medal bout against Kudiev was a second meeting between the two wrestlers in 2026.

Sujeet had already defeated the Tajik wrestler 7-2 in the semi-finals of the Asian Wrestling Championships before going on to win the continental title. But the Asian Games final was a completely different contest.

For much of the final, Kudiev appeared to have the upper hand. Sujeet trailed 9-2 with the clock rapidly ticking down.

Yet instead of allowing the situation to overwhelm him, he changed the momentum with relentless attacking wrestling.

Reflecting on the final, Sujeet admitted that he initially struggled to settle himself.

"In the final bout, I could not control myself. I could not warm up properly. After that, when the second round started, I was able to control my pace. I started scoring a lot, and all my attacks were successful. This motivated me. By the end, I had covered all the points.

The dream of every sportsperson is to win a gold medal at the Olympics. I want to prepare for the Olympics and win gold. I can't do anything about the setback in Paris. I will try to focus on the present rather than the past."

Those words perhaps explain Sujeet's transformation better than the scoreline ever could.

Rather than dwelling on what happened in Paris, he has chosen to concentrate on what comes next.

And in 2026, what has come next has been extraordinary.

Sujeet arrived in Aichi-Nagoya as one of India's strongest medal prospects, having already established himself as one of the leading wrestlers in the 65kg category.

He entered the Asian Games after winning the 2025 U23 World Championships and the 2026 Asian Wrestling Championships.

He also became the first Indian wrestler to win the Asian Championships in the 65kg category since Bajrang Punia achieved the feat in 2019.

The Asian Games gold, therefore, was not an isolated achievement. It was the latest chapter in a season defined by consistency, improvement and an increasingly mature approach to competition.

Behind Sujeet's aggressive approach was a clear message from national coach Shako Bentinidis.

The coach had urged him to attack more, and Sujeet revealed that the advice was not simply something discussed before the Asian Games. It came after his performance in Russia, where he won but still left his coach wanting more.

"Shako coach told me that I should attack as much as I can. We competed in Russia a few days ago, where I finished first, but Shako coach was not happy with my performance. He told me that I was not attacking as much as I could. So, I worked on that and decided that I should attack as much as possible. I attacked and scored in every bout, which is exactly what Shako coach had told me to do.

I will have to work more on different situations that arise during my bouts. Shako coach and Kuldeep coach told me that I have a strong ground game, but I am not using it enough. I will work on attacking from the ground and also improve my ability to defend well."

There is an important lesson in those words.

For Sujeet, the Asian Games gold is not the end of development. It is evidence that the changes he has been making are working while also highlighting areas that still need improvement.

His coaches believe there is more to unlock, particularly in his ground game and defensive wrestling.

For an athlete already sitting at the top of the Asian podium, that hunger to improve could prove more important than the medal itself.

Sujeet's mention of the Paris setback was significant.

Elite sport is often defined not only by how athletes handle success, but by how they respond when things do not go according to plan.

Instead of allowing disappointment to define him, Sujeet appears determined to use it as fuel.

His immediate target, however, is another major challenge: the World Championships.

And he has no illusions about what awaits him.

"This is the most important competition, the World Championships, and it is going to be very tough. In wrestling, the World Championships are tougher than the Olympics. This has always been the case. Whether it is the Asian Games or the Olympic Games, the World Championships are tougher than any of these competitions.

We don't make any completely different preparations. We prepare separately for each competition. We look at the mistakes we made in our previous competitions, work on them and learn from them so that we can improve in the next competition. That is how we prepare."

That mindset could become Sujeet's biggest strength.

He is not looking at the Asian Games gold as the culmination of his journey. Instead, he sees it as another checkpoint on a much larger road.

The World Championships now stand ahead. Beyond that lies the ultimate dream, Olympic gold.

Indian wrestling has produced Olympic medallists, world champions and Asian Games heroes across generations. Yet every new champion must eventually step out of the shadow of those who came before him.

Sujeet Kalkal is beginning to do exactly that.

The comparisons with Bajrang Punia are inevitable. Both have won Asian Games gold in the 65kg category, and Sujeet has now also followed Bajrang as an Asian 65kg champion.

But Sujeet's story is beginning to take its own shape.

An undefeated 2026 season. Continental gold. Multiple international titles. A victory over the reigning Olympic champion. And finally, an extraordinary Asian Games comeback from 9-2 down in the final.

The numbers are impressive. The manner of victory is even more so.

Sujeet did not win because the final was easy. He won because, when the contest appeared to be slipping away, he continued to attack.

That is perhaps the defining image of his Asian Games campaign, a wrestler refusing to accept the score on the scoreboard.

With the World Championships now approaching and an Olympic dream firmly in his sights, Sujeet Kalkal has made one thing clear: the Asian Games gold is not the destination. It is only the beginning.