Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), April 7 Lalit won India's first medal at the 2026 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships, claiming a silver in the 55kg Greco Roman category, while Nitesh reached the final of the 97kg competition here on Tuesday.
Former champion Sunil Kumar added another bronze medal to his trophy cabinet, making it a successful day for the Indian contingent.
Former U-23 Asian Championships bronze winner Lalit, who had defeated China's Huoying Shi in the semifinals, put up a strong resistance against Uzbekistan's Ikhtiyor Botirov in the final but could not avoid a 0-9 loss.
In the 87kg bronze medal match, Sunil Kumar fought back after conceding four points in the first round to beat Uzbekistan's Mukhammadkodir Rasulov 5-4, winning his second consecutive bronze in the Asian Championships.
Earlier, Nitesh ensured that he would improve on his 2025 championship performance by securing a final spot in the 97kg Greco Roman category.
The 23-year-old, who had won the bronze medal last year, defeated China's Zegang Wang 7-2 in the semifinals, setting up a gold medal clash against defending champion Mohammadhadi Saravi of Iran.
In the semifinal, Nitesh made the most of the par Terre (ground position) given to the Chinese in the first round by scoring six points, including a four-point throw. He then defended effectively in the second round to win easily.
India will also have a chance to win the bronze medal in the 82kg Greco Roman category, with Prince facing Didar Ammanazarov of Turkmenistan.
The 20-year-old lost 10-0 to Iran's Mohammadamin Hosseini in the semifinals. However, there was heartbreak for Aman in the 77kg Greco Roman bronze medal match as he lost 14-15 to South Korea's Yeonghun Noh.
Aman fought back from a 7-12 deficit at the end of the first round but fell short by a point.
Sachin Sahrawat (67kg GR) will also have a chance to win the bronze medal after he managed to qualify for the repechage round and will face China's Ji Leng on Wednesday.