Indian Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal Becomes World No. 1 at 65kg

A 23-year-old wrestler from Haryana has just achieved what seemed impossible in one of wrestling's most competitive weight classes. Sujeet Kalkal became the world number one wrestler in the 65kg category, leaping past Iran's World Champion Rahman Mousa Amouzadkhalili and Japan's Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka in the latest United World Wrestling rankings.

The rise came after Sujeet captured the Asian Championship title last week, defeating Uzbekistan's World Championship bronze medalist Umidjon Jalolov 8-1 in the final. That victory ended a seven-year wait for India in the 65kg category, which experts consider the deepest and toughest division in men's freestyle wrestling.

His 2026 season has been nothing short of spectacular. Sujeet has won all 10 of his bouts across three tournaments, scoring an impressive 96 points without a single loss.

What makes this story even more remarkable is that Sujeet is a late bloomer in wrestling. While he visited the akhara (traditional wrestling arena) with his father throughout his childhood, he only started taking the sport seriously five years ago.

Until then, academics dominated his life. He scored over 90 percent in Class 12 and dreamed of becoming an engineer. But when the moment came to choose between higher studies and wrestling, he decided to follow his father's path onto the mat.

Why This Inspires

Sujeet's journey shows that success doesn't always follow a straight line. He bounced back from a disappointing finish at last year's World Championships to claim the U23 World title, proving that setbacks can fuel comebacks.

The 65kg weight class holds special significance for India. Wrestling legends Sushil Kumar and Bajrang Punia both dominated this category, winning multiple World Championship and Olympic medals. India has claimed gold at 65kg only 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 United World Wrestling after his Asian Championship victory. "But it is my job to give my best and I did that. I was very confident that I would win the gold medal."

Now, the young wrestler from Haryana is being hailed as one of India's brightest wrestling prospects heading into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics cycle. His confidence, combined with his unbeaten streak, suggests India may have found its next wrestling superstar.