Albania, 26 February (Sports Desk)
Sujeet Kalkal secured a dominant gold medal in the men’s 65kg freestyle category at the Muhamet Malo 2026 wrestling tournament in Tirana, Albania. This victory marked India’s opening success at the event and extended the young wrestler’s impressive streak in the 2026 UWW Ranking Series.
The 23-year-old Indian star, a reigning U23 World Champion and age-group Asian champion, claimed the top spot with four consecutive wins by technical superiority — showcasing his superior technique and control throughout the day.
Sujeet Kalkal’s Path to Gold
- Opening bout: Defeated Endrio Avdyli (Albania) 16-4
- Quarter-finals: Overpowered Nika Zakashvili (Georgia) 10-0
- Semi-finals: Crushed Joseph McKenna (USA, two-time Pan American champion) 11-0 — his second win over the American in three weeks (matching the score from the Zagreb Open semis)
- Final: Dominated Rashid Babazade (Azerbaijan) 10-0 (achieved in just 78 seconds, per reports)
This triumph is Sujeet’s second consecutive gold in the 2026 UWW Ranking Series, following his win at the Zagreb Open in Croatia earlier in February. Overall, it adds to his tally as his fourth UWW circuit gold, after previous titles at the 2022 Zouhaier Sghaier and 2025 Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial tournaments.
Hailing from Haryana, India, Sujeet Kalkal (born November 5, 2002) continues to build momentum toward major events like the Asian Games later in the year.
Other Indian Performances
- In the same 65kg category, teammate Mohit Kumar exited in the qualifying round.
- At 57kg, Ankush and Atish Todkar advanced through repechage to bronze medal bouts but lost their respective matches.
- Wrestlers Sumit (57kg), Rahul (61kg), Siddharth (70kg), Parvinder (74kg), and Aryan (86kg) did not reach the medal rounds.
India fielded a strong 48-member contingent (16 each in men’s freestyle, women’s, and Greco-Roman), though notable stars like Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat and two-time World Championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal were absent.
Sujeet Kalkal’s clinical dominance — scoring high points while conceding minimal — highlights his rising status on the global stage. A promising sign for Indian wrestling ahead of bigger challenges!
