Sujeet Kalkal secures India's first spot for World Wrestling Championships

Sujeet Kalkal has become the first Indian wrestler to secure a spot at the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. Competing in the 65kg freestyle category at the national selection trials in Lucknow, Kalkal defeated Anujj Kumar with an 8-3 score in the final.

Other notable winners in the men's freestyle category included Yash in the 74kg division, Rahul in the 57kg division, Pushpendar Dalal in the 86kg division, Vicky in the 97kg division, and Jaspooran Singh in the 125kg division. In the Greco-Roman discipline, winners included Harsh (60kg), Sachin (67kg), Luvpreet Singh (77kg), Rohit (87kg), Abhimanyu (97kg), and Joginder (130kg).

While Kalkal has already qualified for the Asian Games, the other winners must now face the Asian Games-bound contingent in a final trial stage to determine the remaining berths for the World Championships, which are scheduled to take place from October 24 to November 1.