2 min readApr 17, 2026 11:07 PM IST
Recently crowned Asian champion in the men’s freestyle 65kg category, Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal became the world number one wrestler in the latest updated rankings of the United World Wrestling on Friday.
Sujeet, the reigning U23 World Champion, surged ahead of World Champion Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili of Iran and Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan in the rankings.
Last week, the 23-year-old’s 8-1 win in the final over last year’s World Championship bronze medallist, Uzbekistan’s Umidjon Jalolov, landed India’s first men’s freestyle gold at 65kg since 2019 at the Asian Wrestling championships, ending a seven-year wait in a weight category considered the deepest and toughest in the discipline. Overall, it ended a three-year drought for Indian men’s freestyle gold at the Asians. India has won gold at 65kg just twice since 2015 — both times through Bajrang Punia, who went on to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
“Winning or losing isn’t in my hands,” Sujeet told UWW. “But it is my job to give my best and I did that. I was very confident that I would win the gold medal.”
After a slightly unlucky and disappointing finish at the World Championships last year, Sujeet bounced back in style with the U23 title. In the 2026 season, he started strongly with 10 wins in three tournaments. He is still to lose a bout in this season and has scored 96 points in ten bouts.
A late bloomer, Sujeet had been visiting the akhara with his father since childhood, but it was only five years ago that he began taking wrestling seriously. Until then, academics had been his primary focus. Scoring over 90 per cent in Class 12, he once aspired to become an engineer. But when the time came to choose between higher studies and the mat, he chose to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Traditionally, India has done well in the 65-66 kg category with both Sushil Kumar and Bajrang Punia doing well in the category winning multiple World Championships medal and Olympic medals. The youngster from Haryana is touted is one of the brightest Indian wrestling prospects going in the 2028 LA Olympics cycle.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
