Asian Games gold in bag, Sujeet Kalkal wants to add more to his arsenal

Asian Games gold-winning wrestler Sujeet Kalkal on Wednesday revealed that he is working specifically on his ground game after coaches identified it as an area that could make his already aggressive attacking style even more effective in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Sujeet, who stormed to the men's 65kg freestyle gold in his Asian Games debut, said his coaches have asked him to improve his ability to attack from ground positions as well as defend better, areas that he admitted need to be worked on.

"First of all, the situations that frequently come in my bouts, I have to work on those more. On the ground, my coach has told me that there is a little weakness, so in the future, I will attack from the ground and defend well," Sujeet said in a virtual interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

The Haryana wrestler's success in the Asian Games was built around a much more aggressive approach, something he said national freestyle coach Emzarios "Shako" Bentinidis had specifically worked with him after making him realise that he was not attacking enough despite winning a competition in Russia.

"I thought that If I have an attack, then I should do it. In this match, I attacked and scored in every bout," he said.

Sujeet has now set his sights firmly on becoming an Olympic champion, saying the disappointment of missing the Paris Games is behind him and he will focus on the present and future as he prepares for the 2028 Games.

"The Olympics is the dream of every sportsperson. To become an Olympic champion, to keep our country's flag at the top. So, if we are preparing for the Olympics, then go for gold," Sujeet said in a virtual interaction with the media on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old had missed the Paris Olympics after India failed to secure a quota in his category. The wrestler recalled that circumstances, including floods that prevented him from reaching the qualification event, were beyond his control.

"What happened in Paris, it was God's will. We can't do anything about it. We will try our best not to focus too much on the past. We will focus on our present and future," he said.

Sujeet's Asian Games triumph was particularly significant after the setbacks he endured in the build-up to Paris.

He said his approach in Nagoya was to keep fighting till the last second, especially after falling 2-9 behind in the final.

"If I am losing, then it is my duty to fight till my last breath. Whatever power is left in us, I will give it my all," he said.

One of the country's best wrestlers for some time now, Sujeet said he does not allow expectations or his winning streak to become a source of pressure, insisting that it can prevent an athlete from giving his best.

"I just play with 100 per cent effort. As far as my victories are concerned, there is happiness, but there is no pressure. A person cannot give 100 per cent under pressure," he said.

Sujeet, who has won all 24 bouts in his international winning streak, said he does not dwell on the numbers.

"If I win, it is God's will. If I lose, it is also God's will. If I lose, then in the future I will work more on my shortcomings. This is the only difference between winning and losing," he said.

He also credited his father Dayanand for shaping him as a wrestler and as a person, saying the Asian Games gold was only one step towards his father's bigger dream of seeing him become an Olympic champion.

"He is very happy because it was his dream to make his son so capable that he wins gold for the country. But his dream is incomplete because he wants me to become an Olympic champion," Sujeet said.

The wrestler said his father had also played a major role in instilling values such as humility, respect and sportsmanship in him.

"Whatever I am, it is because of him. Whatever he has taught me, whether it is related to sports or basic etiquettes, how to live a normal life, how to respect others and how to help others, he teaches me all these things," he said.

Sujeet's immediate focus, however, is this month's World Championships in Kazakhstan, where he hopes to add another medal to his Asian Games gold.

For the wrestler, winning a medal for India at the Worlds would be celebration enough, even if it means missing out on build-up to Diwali. The mega-event is scheduled from October 24 to November 1, while Diwali falls on November 6 this year.

"If I achieve anything as a sportsperson, if I win a medal for my country in the World Championships, then that is my Diwali," he said.

"My father says that if I win a medal, then automatically I will celebrate Diwali and Holi without any worries. So if I win a gold medal for my country, then that is Diwali for me," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)