The 23-year-old wrestler showcased his attacking skills and fighting spirit as he overturned a seven-point deficit to beat Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev in a dramatic final. Sujeet Kalkal emerged as one of the faces of India’s Asian Games campaign with his gold medal-winning effort in the 65kg weight class.
“My next target is the World Championships, and I want to win gold there. It is going to be a tough competition. Whether it’s the Asian Games or the Olympics, the World Championships are still tough. Of course, the final aim is to win at the Olympics. We had a competition in Russia a few days ago where I came first but coach was not happy. I worked on it. So in the Asian Games I was attacking and scoring in every bout. Studies are very important. These are general life skills that will make you better in every sphere. Training and competitions in Russia and Armenia also proved valuable. “There are medalists of the World Championship and Olympic Games. We trained with them and got to learn a lot. The competition in Russia was a very good experience. The help from TOPS and our federation (WFI) in giving exposure tours at the right time has contributed to the success.”
It’s the dream of every player,” said Sujeet. But I will still try not to be distracted and keep my focus on the preparation,” said Sujeet from Sonipat during an interaction facilitated by SAI. “Shako coach told me that I should attack more. He said that I don’t attack as much as I can. “My father also told me that if I am educated, my brain will work better.
“After coming to the Games, there is a little distraction as I am attending a programme today. Even today he comes up and teaches me something good every day,” says Sujeet, who at one point was also preparing for engineering entrance exams.
