There are some bouts that show the class of a wrestler. For Sujeet Kalkal, his fight against Iran’s Rahman Amouzadkhali, the Paris Olympics silver medallist, gave a glimpse of his talent and ability. At the World Championships last year, Sujeet lost 5–6 to Amouzad, who eventually won the 65kg category world title, but he made the Iranian sweat for every point.
Till the last second, Sujeet wrestled with a big heart, caring little about his opponent’s reputation. It could have been anybody’s bout had Sujeet’s dramatic last-gasp attack, which brought him two points and still had Amouzad in his grasp, not ended with the clock ticking away. Sujeet thumped the mat in desperation. Of the six points Amouzad conceded while winning five bouts en route to the world title, Sujeet had taken five.
Sujeet returned from the Worlds without a medal but with plenty of self-belief, and the loss taught him to keep his goals high. Since that defeat, Sujeet has claimed four titles: the U23 World Championships last year, two Ranking Series gold medals in Zagreb and Muhamet Malo, and the biggest, the Senior Asian Championships title. He is on a 15-bout winning streak and currently ranked world No. 1.
Not since Bajrang Punia has any Indian shown such hunger and resolve in the 65kg weight class on the world stage. In fact, Punia was the last Indian to win the Asian title in 65kg in 2019. The 23-year-old Sujeet has emerged as his successor.
“I learnt a lot from the bout against Amouzad. My wrestling style is similar, so scoring points was difficult. But I understood that I needed to work more on improving my strength. I was coming back from an injury and couldn’t fight freely and there was a bit of pressure as well,” says Sujeet.
He lost the bronze medal bout to US wrestler Real Woods, another close contest in which he went down 5–7. But the loss to the top Iranian weighed on his mind. “That was tough because the US wrestler is good, but not someone I cannot beat. I should have come back with a bronze medal from the Worlds, but mentally you are under pressure. I couldn’t give 100 percent.”
On his return, Sujeet discussed several things with his father, Dayanand Kalkal, a wrestling coach with SAI, and coach Kuldeep, who has also trained him. “They told me to become mentally stronger and be prepared for anything. Wins and losses will happen.”
Sujeet has taken his wrestling to a different level since then. At the Asian Championships, he showed strong defense and fast counterattacks to beat Rustamzhan Kakharov of Kyrgyzstan, Abdulmazhid Kudiev of Tajikistan, and Umidjon Jalolov of Uzbekistan, the Worlds bronze medallist. All tough opponents but Sujeet impressed with his skills and endurance. He was always technically good, but now that he has developed power, he can time his attacks with conviction.
“Maturity comes with age, and as you approach your peak, endurance and power increase. My father has trained me well in basic techniques, which gives me an advantage. But at this level you have to keep learning from every loss.”
Despite the wins, Sujeet remains cautious. At the Asian Games, it will be a tougher tussle for gold. There will be Amouzad, a silver medallist from the Asian Games, and even Kotaro Kiyooka, the Paris Olympic gold medallist from Japan.
“I am happy with my effort at the Asian Championships, but the Asian Games will be a better test because the level of competition will be high. The Iranian and Japanese wrestlers will be there.”
