Benchmarks
Nifty22,530.45108.5

FEATURED FUNDS★★★★★

Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund Direct-Growth

5Y Return
19.6 %

Invest Now

Enter search text:

Business News›News›Sports›Other Sports›From setbacks to six medals: Indian wrestlers turn Nagoya success into LA 2028 mission

Read Today's Paper

From setbacks to six medals: Indian wrestlers turn Nagoya success into LA 2028 mission
Synopsis

Indian wrestlers secured six medals at the Asian Games in Nagoya, marking a successful campaign. Aman Sehrawat and Sujeet Kalkal won gold medals in their respective categories. Nitesh Siwach and Antim Panghal achieved silver, while Deepak Punia and Sunil Kumar added bronze to the tally. Sehrawat expressed his ambition for the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after his victory.

Reuters

New Delhi: They headed for the Asian Games battling issues ranging from nagging injuries to form slump but once in Nagoya, Indian wrestlers turned on the style for a six-medal haul, including two gold, and are now focussed on building themselves for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.



The campaign in Nagoya was headlined by Aman Sehrawat and Sujeet Kalkal's gold medals, while Nitesh Siwach and Antim Panghal won silver and Deepak Punia and Sunil Kumar added bronze.



Also Read: Asian Games 2026: India’s biggest hits and misses after 85-medal campaign

For Sehrawat, the gold in the men's 57kg freestyle was the culmination of one of the most difficult periods of his young career. After his bronze at the Paris Olympics, the 23-year-old endured a slump in motivation in 2025 and was also troubled by a persistent stomach ailment that forced him out of important tournaments.



In Nagoya, he defeated reigning world champion Han Chong Song 11-7 in the final.




"Ups and downs, injuries keep happening like this. That phase also comes, but I had the belief in my mind. We should never give up, and I did the same. Today, I have won a gold medal in the Games. The future goal is the Olympics," he said after returning to the country early this morning here.

"We won gold for the country. The plan for the future is exactly the same – we will win gold for the country and prepare accordingly. I thank all the countrymen; it was their prayers that worked in the matches," he added.

"…now we will do better in the future. The whole nation is giving us love. Now our national anthem will be played at the LA Olympics."



For Sujeet, India's other freestyle gold-medallist, it was about living up to expectations. The world No. 2 entered the Games unbeaten this season.



In the 65kg final, he recovered from a 2-9 deficit to defeat Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9, reclaiming the category in which Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia had previously won Asian Games gold.



At the airport, Kalkal said his long struggle had finally borne fruit.



"Whatever struggle I did has paid off. The final match was tough, but I was only thinking of winning that time, " he said.



"Now we will practice more, and if all goes well, we will win gold at the Olympics too. For the Olympics, the practice has already begun."



Also Read: India did not get Asian Games gold ‘on a platter’, says Sanju Samson after Pakistan win



Nitesh Siwach's silver in the men's 97kg Greco-Roman category carried its own remarkable back-story. A serious knee injury as a teenager kept him away from wrestling for more than 18 months, during which he helped his family with its dairy business and sold milk in Panipat.



His return culminated in a historic Asian Games final appearance – India's first in the weight class in 64 years. He eventually lost 0-4 to Japan's Yuri Nakazato.



"I feel great. This is the first time I am getting such respect and honour. I am experiencing such a great welcome for the first time, and I am very happy," Siwach said.



He acknowledged that he had gone into the Games targeting gold but was pleased with the silver too given that it was his debut in the mega-event.



"I had aimed for gold. I didn't win gold, but I did secure the silver medal and I am very happy about that. Since this was my first Asian Games, I am delighted with the silver," he said.



"People used to say we wouldn't win medals in Greco-Roman, but we will continue to excel. We will bring home medals from the Los Angeles Olympics," he said.



"I made some mistakes, which is why I had to settle for silver. My goal going forward is to win gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and I will work extremely hard for it."



His Olympic preparation, he said, had already begun.



"My preparation for the Olympics has already begun, starting from the very day I won the medal. I have to bring a gold in the Olympics," Siwach said.



Deepak Punia also arrived in Delhi with a medal after navigating a difficult chapter in his career.



The 2019 World Championships silver medallist, who had previously competed at 86kg and 92kg, moved to 97kg this year after a muscle injury and won selection for the Asian Games in the new weight class.



He defeated Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1 in the bronze-medal bout.



"Winning a medal was quite challenging for me because I used to compete in the 86kg category, but this time I participated in the 97kg category. There were many challenges, and my hope and goal was to win the gold medal. However, I had to settle for the bronze," Punia said.



"Hopefully, we will be able to perform even better in upcoming tournaments."



Punia said his experience had helped him manage the pressure.



"I have been playing for a long time, so there is pressure; there is pressure on every athlete. But I understood how I had to handle the pressure. In my mind, it was just that I had to give my best. It was not like I had to take over-pressure. I just had to give my 100 per cent and that's what I did."



Antim Panghal, meanwhile, upgraded her bronze from the Hangzhou Asian Games to silver in the women's 53kg category, losing 1-9 to Japan's Moe Kiyooka in the final. Her coaches had worked on keeping her calm before the competition, even showing her videos of past victories over scheduled opponents to build confidence.



"It is my second time winning a medal. But I had thought that I had to come first, but I could not come first. In the future, I will try to do better than this," Panghal said.



Sunil Kumar, who won bronze in the men's 87kg Greco-Roman category, matched his bronze from Hangzhou and became the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to win two Asian Games medals.



He returned to the podium after recovering from knee surgery and defeated the Philippines' Callum Johnston Roberts 9-0 by technical superiority in the bronze-medal bout.



"I am very happy and want to thank all my fellow countrymen. May your blessings and support continue to be with me," Kumar said.



At the airport, Haryana Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam also joined family members and supporters in welcoming the athletes.

Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source
Add Now!

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)


Read More News on
Indian wrestlers successLA 2028 OlympicsNagoya Asian GamesAsian Games medalsAman SehrawatSujeet KalkalNitesh SiwachDeepak PuniaSunil Kumar

Enter search text:

Stories you might be interested in