Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal raced to an early lead against his compatriot Vishal Kaliraman in the men’s freestyle 65 kg wrestling trials for the World Championships on Monday. However, Vishal applied pressure in the second period. He tried to execute a takedown, but Sujeet expertly maneuvered like a trick master and countered him with a takedown of his own, resulting in him getting the decisive lead.
All the drama was unfolding at the SAI Center in Lucknow as Sujeet booked his berth for a maiden World Championships appearance. “Finally, I will be playing at the Senior World Championships. It has been a long-overdue dream for me,” he told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the trials.
A big legacy
While it will be his maiden appearance, the Bhiwani wrestler will be carrying India’s hopes in a weight category where the nation has achieved considerable success. Growing up, he would watch videos of Sushil Kumar (then in 66 kg) and Bajrang Punia, and now, he has the responsibility of carrying their legacy forward in that sharply coveted weight division. “65 kg has been our strong area for a very long time, and I am aware that all eyes will be on me during the World Championships,” said Sujeet.
Sujeet Kalkal in action. (Pritish Raj/Express Photo)
The 65-66kg category in the men’s freestyle wrestling has been one of India’s strongest weight divisions in freestyle world wrestling. When it was 66 kg, Sushil Kumar dominated the category, winning two Olympic medals (bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012) and becoming World Champion in 2010.
After United World Wrestling rebranded it in 2014, Bajrang Punia made it his hunting ground with three World Championships medals (silver in 2018 and bronze in 2019 and 2022) and Olympic bronze in Tokyo. However, with Punia banned due to a whereabouts doping failure, India’s search for a successor in the 65 kg seems to have ended with the emergence of Sujeet.
His coach, Kuldeep Singh, believes that Sujeet is made to perform in the 65 kg category. “I will tell you this boy has immense wrestling sense. I haven’t seen many wrestlers who use their brains the way he does. He has got the ability to strategize mid-game and execute them,” Kuldeep told The Indian Express.
Motivated by heartbreak
The 22-year-old is having a superb 2025 season with medals at both junior and senior levels after the heartbreak of not qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics due to unfortunate circumstances. He missed a connecting flight to Amman, where the last Olympic qualifiers were held, from Dubai due to unexpected floods in the UAE capital city.
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“It was indeed a heartbreaking moment for me. But it was unfortunate and not in my control. Actually, the heartbreak of not qualifying for the Paris Olympics became my motivation. When I returned to India without the ticket to Paris, I just wanted to let everything out on the mat,” said Sujeet.
Did he let everything out on the mat? Yes, the results of the season show that he has stayed true to his words. While the senior Asian Championships in 2025 ended early for him due to an injury during the quarters, he clinched the U23 Asian title, winning all matches by technical superiority.
He took it a notch above in the Budapest Ranking series last month as he won the gold medal, defeating Olympic bronze medallist Islam Dudaev of Albania, Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia, and four-time European medallist Ali Rahimzadeh of Azerbaijan, conceding just two points in four games.
“Playing in Budapest was a great experience cause all the wrestlers I defeated are very technically sound. The competition was great and it helped me understand how to counter different situations on a mat during the bout,” quipped Sujeet.
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Working on attack
What caught everyone’s eye during Sujeet’s title-winning run at Budapest was the points he scored purely by attacking. He scored 33 points in a very strong field, and similarly at the U23 Asian Championships, he scored 52 points in five games.
At the trials, Sujeet turned four attacks from his opponents into a counterattack, eventually taking the points. While he always had a decent defence, the art of countering when an opponent is on the move makes him more lethal.
Post his Paris heartbreak, Sujeet, along with his coach Kuldeep Singh, has worked on counter-attacks and making him more powerful. “We have worked on his strength training. Earlier, he was not able to reverse the attacks due to lack of power. As he is growing now, his strength is improving. With more strength, he is also defending well,” said Kuldeep, who trains Sujeet at the SAI Sonepat center.
His father, Dayanand, who himself was a wrestler, explained why he was able to counterattack today. “Right now, Sujeet is injury-free, barring stretched muscles. Since his body is moving fluidly, his speed works as the perfect weapon to counter whenever the opponent attacks. This is a new addition to his technique, which he was not doing last year,” he said.
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Though not built like a tank like Bajrang legendarily was, Sujeet tends to get going quicker with speed as his pivot.
Sujeet Kalkal in action. (Pritish Raj/Express Photo)
With the World Championships scheduled for 13th September this year in Zagreb, Sujeet will be one of India’s biggest hopes, along with Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat in 57 kg.
In 65 kg, Japanese Kotaro Kiyooka took gold at Paris, while Iranian Rahman Amouzad won silver. Dudaev had bronze alongwith Puerto Rican Sebastian Rivera. Rahimzadeh has stepped in for Tokyo silver medallist Haji Aliyev for Azerbaijan at Budapest. The category sees plenty of 70kg wrestlers step down to compete making it a power grapple.
“I am very confident of Sujeet doing well at the Worlds cause his performance at the Budapest Ranking Series is proof that he can take on the world. Hopefully, he keeps his form and delivers in Zagreb,” Kuldeep concluded.
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Whether Sujeet delivers or not, we will know in September, but for now, the legacy has a worthy successor.
