India's Sujeet Kalkal produced a stunning late comeback to win the country's first wrestling gold medal at the Asian Games 2026, defeating Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the men's 65kg final on Friday.
The Indian wrestler looked to be heading towards silver after falling 2-9 behind in the second period. However, Sujeet refused to give up and turned the contest around in the closing stages to secure a memorable gold medal.
With one minute and 15 seconds remaining on the clock, Sujeet was still trailing 6-9. He then produced a crucial takedown to cut the deficit to 8-9 and keep his gold-medal hopes alive.
Even with just 50 seconds left on the clock, the gold still seemed out of reach, with Kudiev holding the advantage.
But Sujeet produced another takedown in the closing stages to move ahead and complete a remarkable 10-9 victory.
The gold is particularly significant in the 65kg category, which has previously belonged to Indian stars like Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia.
Yogeshwar won gold in the category at the 2014 Asian Games, while Bajrang followed it up with another gold in 2018. Bajrang also won a bronze medal in the 65kg category at the Tokyo Olympics.
Sujeet's victory also gives Indian wrestling a much-needed gold after the country failed to win a gold medal in wrestling at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The 23-year-old had already beaten Kudiev earlier this year at the Asian Championships.
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