Asian Wrestling Championships 2026: Sujeet, Abhimanyou power India to two golds

India’s campaign at the Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 gathered momentum on the penultimate day, with Sujeet and Abhimanyou clinching gold medals in men’s freestyle events in Bishkek on Saturday.

Sujeet, the reigning U-23 world champion, delivered a dominant performance in the 65kg final, defeating Uzbekistan’s Umidjon Jalolov 8-1. The 23-year-old remained unbeaten this year and became the first Indian since Bajrang Punia in 2019 to win gold in this category at the continental championships. After a cautious opening, Sujeet took control in the second period, extending his dominance to secure a comfortable win.

Shortly after, Abhimanyou added a second gold for India by overcoming Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir 5-3 in the 70kg final. He staged a comeback after trailing early, showing composure to turn the bout in his favour.

India builds strong medal haul with more finals ahead

Sandeep Mann narrowly missed out on a third gold, losing 1-2 in the 79kg final. Earlier, Ankush secured a bronze medal in the 57kg category with an 8-2 win over Japan’s Fuga Sasaki, taking India’s overall tally to 14 medals, including two gold, four silver and eight bronze.

India will have further opportunities to add to its gold count on the final day. Aman advanced to the 61kg final after a closely contested 11-9 win over Iran’s Ahmad Mohammadnezhadjavan. He will face North Korea’s Kwang M Kim for the title.

In the 86kg category, Mukul Dahiya also reached the final with a 12-6 victory over Kazakhstan’s Bolat Sakayev and will take on Iran’s Kamran Ghasempour.

Meanwhile, Dinesh will compete for bronze in the 125kg category after his semifinal loss.