Asian Games champion Sujeet Kalkal will headline India’s squad for the World Wrestling Championships 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1.
The World Wrestling Championships will be held at the Barys Arena, with 10 weight categories each in men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat and two-time Worlds bronze medal winner Antim Panghal have opted to skip the competition.
While Antim will not compete after winning silver at the Asian Games 2026, Aman, who won gold in Aichi-Nagoya, is managing shoulder and ankle injuries.
Olympian Deepak Punia, who returned with a bronze from the Asian Games, will also miss the Worlds while managing a shoulder injury.
Sujeet, meanwhile, will compete in the men’s freestyle 65kg category and arrive in Astana as one of India’s leading medal contenders.
The 23-year-old Indian wrestler won the Asian Games title earlier this month after beating reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan in the semi-finals and producing a stunning comeback against Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev in the gold medal bout.
Sujeet recovered from 9-2 down to beat Kudiev 10-9, adding the Asian Games crown to the Asian Championships and U23 World Championships titles already on his resume.
The Indian is currently world No. 2 in the UWW rankings, behind the Islamic Republic of Iran’s reigning world champion Rahman Amouzad. Amouzad did not compete at the Asian Games and will be among Sujeet’s leading rivals in a strong 65kg field in Astana.
Only five members of India’s 15-strong Asian Games wrestling contingent are part of the Worlds squad – Sujeet, Sagar Jaglan, Manisha Bhanwala, Sunil Kumar and Nitesh Siwach.
Asian Games Greco-Roman medallists Nitesh Siwach and Sunil Kumar will be among the other prominent Indian names in Astana.
Nitesh won the 97kg silver medal at Aichi-Nagoya, India’s first Asian Games silver in Greco-Roman wrestling in 64 years, while Sunil’s 87kg bronze made him the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to win two Asian Games medals.
Points from the 2026 Worlds will count towards seeding at the 2027 Ranking Series, continental championships and World Championships, making Astana relevant to the early LA 2028 Olympic cycle.
India squad for World Wrestling Championships 2026
Men’s freestyle: Rahul (57kg), Nikhil (61kg), Sujeet Kalkal (65kg), Vishal Kaliraman (70kg), Sagar Jaglan (74kg), Sourabh Yadav (79kg), Pushpender Dalal (86kg), Sachin (92kg), Vicky (97kg), Jaspooran Singh (125kg)
Women: Neelam (50kg), Nishu (53kg), Ahilya S Shinde (55kg), Neha Sharma (57kg), Manisha Bhanwala (59kg), Neha (62kg), Rajnita (65kg), Srishti (68kg), Tanu Sharma (72kg), Kajal (76kg)
Greco-Roman: Lalit (55kg), Harsh (60kg), Sahil (63kg), Sachin Sahrawat (67kg), Karanjit Singh (72kg), Lovepreet Singh (77kg), Prince (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Nitesh Siwach (97kg), Joginder Rathee (130kg)
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/world-wrestling-championships-2026-india-squad
