Grew in confidence after close semis bout: Sujeet Kalkal

NEW DELHI: Before landing in Novi Sad (Serbia) for the U23 World wrestling championships, Sujeet Kalkal was carrying a shoulder niggle and a back injury. He faced injury issues while training for the championship, raising concerns about his participation in the event.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Despite the challenges thrown up by his body, the 22-year-old from Haryana’s Bhiwani district produced a commanding performance to claim the U23 world crown in the men’s 65kg category late Monday evening.“Injuries are part of an athlete’s life. In wrestling, you never know when you will suffer an injury. We always carry some niggles. The same was the case before the U23 Worlds.

I was having a problem with my shoulder and back. There was stiffness in my body. But I never allowed those challenges to hamper my performance in the event. I was determined to put up a strong show, especially after I narrowly missed winning a senior world championships medal (in Zagreb in Sept last).

I didn’t want to let this opportunity go. I faced some tough bouts in the quarters and semis. Those bouts stretched my body to its limit.

After defeating the Japanese opponent (Yuto Nishiuchi) in a close semifinal contest, I grew in confidence and didn’t want to settle for anything less than gold,” Kalkal told TOI from Novi Sad before boarding his flight back home.In the title bout, Kalkal defeated Uzbekistan’s Umidjon Jalolov by technical superiority (10-0) to become only the third Indian male wrestler to win the U23 world title after Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat (in 2022) and Chirag Chikkara (in 2024).Kalkal – a former U20 and U23 Asian champion – overcame the tough challenge of UWW’s Bashir Magomedov 4-2 in the quarterfinals, before scoring a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Nishiuchi in the dying moments of his bout.“Those were actually the two biggest victories for me. I knew both my opponents would come hard on me and I was prepared for the fight. I relied on my counter-attacking moves and defensive skills to beat them.

As for my opponent in the final, Jalolov, I had beaten him twice at the U23 Asian championships earlier this year (where the Indian became the eventual champion),” he said.Looking ahead, Kalkal acknowledged that he needs to work on his strength and stamina to win a medal at the Asian Games next year and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. “I am good with my foot movement and agility. I have good attacking moves. There’s always scope for improvement. I have realised that I need to increase my strength and stamina with two important events lined up in coming years,” he said.