New Delhi, April 11 – World U-23 champion Sujeet and Abhimanyou secured contrasting victories in their respective men’s freestyle finals, helping India win two gold medals on the penultimate day of the 2026 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Saturday.
Sujeet, who had been undefeated so far this year, dominated the men’s 65kg freestyle final against Uzbekistan’s Umidjon Jalolov, winning 8-1 and becoming the first Indian since Bajrang Punia’s 2019 triumph to win an Asian Championship gold medal in this weight category.
Sujeet started slowly in the opening round as Jalolov held his ground and prevented the Indian from attacking. However, the 23-year-old Indian quickly took control in the second round, securing his fifth victory over the Uzbek wrestler.
Shortly after, Abhimanyou secured a double victory for the Indian camp, overcoming a 0-2 deficit to beat Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir 5-3 in the men’s 70kg freestyle final.
Head Constable Abhimanyu, a 24-year-old wrestler from Hisar, Haryana, from the CISF Central Wrestling Team, brought immense pride to the Force and the nation by winning the gold medal in the 70kg freestyle category at the Asian Wrestling Championship held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The championship was held from April 6th to 12th, 2026, witnessing participation from top wrestlers across Asia.
Sandeep Mann had the chance to complete a hat-trick of gold medals for India, but he lost 1-2 in a closely contested final bout in the men’s 79kg category.
Earlier, Ankush defeated Fuga Sasaki of Japan 8-2 to clinch the men’s 57kg freestyle bronze, taking India’s overall medal tally to two gold, four silver, and eight bronze medals.
India will have the opportunity to win two more gold medals on the final day of competition, as Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman (men’s 61kg Freestyle) and Mukul Dahiya (men’s 86kg Freestyle) have secured their final berths.
Aman, who won the bronze medal in Paris in the 57kg weight category and the Asian Championship gold in the same weight category two years ago, is competing in a higher weight category in Bishkek. In the semi-final, Aman displayed his tenacity in a close-fought bout, defeating Iran’s Ahmad Mohammadnezhadjavan 11-9.
He will now face North Korea’s Kwang M Kim, who defeated Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev by fall in the other semi-final.
In the 86kg category, Mukul Dahiya conceded six points early in the semi-final bout against Kazakhstan’s Bolat Sakayev, but then scored two crucial takedowns to regain momentum and ultimately beat his opponent 12-6, securing his final berth. He will now face Iran’s Kamran Ghasempour for the gold medal.
Meanwhile, Dinesh will compete for the bronze medal in the men’s 125kg freestyle category after he lost the semi-final against Bahrain’s Shamil Sharipov by fall.