India wrestler Sujeet Kalka strikes gold in men’s 65kg freestyle at Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial

BUDAPEST: Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal clinched the gold medal in the 65kg men’s freestyle category at the Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial 2025 wrestling tournament in Budapest, Hungary.

In the final of the 65kg men’s freestyle category, Sujeet delivered a clinical performance to overwhelm four-time European medallist Ali Rahimzade of Azerbaijan 5-1. Sujeet’s success on Thursday marked India’s first gold medal in wrestling at any of the Ranking Series events this year. Earlier, India grapplers drew blanks in Amman and Mongolia, according to Olympics.com.

In the first period, Sujeet conceded an activity point and then raised the tempo in the second to complete two takedowns. He claimed another activity point en route to a commanding victory in the gold medal bout.

#Wrestling: Sujeet Kalkal wins Gold medal at Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial Ranking Series in Hungary.

The win marked country’s first gold medal at any of the United World Wrestling Ranking Series events in 2025.

India also secured a podium finish in the 57kg men’s… pic.twitter.com/ueNl5IeWXB

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 18, 2025

Sujeet’s journey to the final was remarkable, considering he sealed a thumping 11-0 win over Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medallist Islam Dudaev of Albania in the round of 16. Sujeet marched on to overwhelm European silver medallist Khamzat Arsamerzouev of France in the quarter-finals before stamping his authority with a 6-1 win over Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia in the last four.

In the men’s 57kg category, India won another medal as Rahul clinched a bronze after defeating Germany’s Niklas Stechele with a 4-0 victory. He defeated Kim Sung-gwon of the Republic of Korea 5-3 in the quarter-finals. He narrowly lost by 7-6 in a closely fought contest against the USA’s Luke Joseph Lilledahl in the semi-finals.

India’s Udit and Vicky endured defeats in the repechage rounds of the 61kg and 97kg divisions, respectively. The Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial in Budapest is the fourth and last wrestling ranking series of the year.

The ranking points available will help wrestlers earn a better seeding for the World Wrestling Championships, which will be held in Zagreb, Croatia, in September later this year. India fielded wrestlers in the men’s and women’s freestyle, as well as Greco-Roman, categories at the ongoing Budapest meet, which will conclude on Sunday. (ANI)