Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal: Unable to train properly for Worlds due to Asian Games functions

Sujeet Kalkal won Asian Games gold in the men’s 65 kg category, defeating Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka en route to the title. | Photo Credit: PTI

He might be the latest poster boy of Indian wrestling following a victorious campaign that saw him beat Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka en route to a gold medal at the Asian Games earlier this month. Still, Sujeet Kalkal admits the celebrations that followed have meant his preparations for the upcoming World Championships in Astana — which get underway from October 24 — are far from ideal.

“After the Asian Games, training itni acchi nahi ho payi hai (my training hasn’t been as good as I would have liked). At most, I can do the morning training session, two hours from 5 a.m. After that, I’m almost always called to a function or programme. I’ve never trained both times of the day like I was before the Asian Games,” Sujeet tells Sportstar.

It wasn’t expected to be this way.

When he arrived back in India from Nagoya earlier this month, Sujeet, who has been on a calorie-restricted diet for the past year, allowed himself a few days of indulgence. “ Daba ke khana khaya (I ate to my heart’s content),” he says with a smile. Just those few days of eating his fill saw the 23-year-old gain 4kg.

But while he’s got his weight management on track, mat training has been another matter.

Wall-to-wall celebrations have barely given Sujeet time to catch his breath, let alone train the way he would have wanted. With the World Championships in Astana looming, the 65kg freestyle wrestler, who is ranked world No. 2, is trying to make up for lost training over the last couple of days. “I’ve tried to reduce the number of engagements,” he says. Despite this, Sujeet knows he will not arrive as well prepared as he would have hoped.

Sujeet says he had anticipated some disruption, which was why he and his team ensured he competed in the selection trials for the World Championships before the Asian Games. But the volume of engagements and the time they took up proved greater than he had expected.

“I got a lot of rewards and respect after the Asian Games. Honestly, I didn’t expect it. It was the first time I had won a Games,” he says.

Sujeet has tried to leave functions as early as possible to preserve his morning training sessions.

Sujeet dismisses the suggestion that perhaps he’s only trying to reduce the burden of expectations on himself ahead of the Astana Worlds.

“It’s the truth. I’m not trying to lower expectations for the sake of it. I have not trained as well as I could have,” he says.

This disruption to training has not been limited to Sujeet. Nearly all of India’s Asian Games gold medallists are on a break right now. India’s only other Asian Games gold medallist in wrestling, Aman Sehrawat, was originally entered in the men’s 61kg category at Astana but eventually withdrew.

Despite the imperfect build-up, Sujeet is determined to compete.

He sees the World Championships as a more significant test than the Asian Games, where the rewards and recognition can sometimes distract athletes from the next challenge.

“A lot of people get distracted by what they’ve achieved at the Asian Games. There are a lot of rewards. This was the first time I had as many distractions. In a way, it is good because it adds motivation. But a lot of people do rest after doing well at the Asian Games. I’m making it a point to compete at the Worlds,” he says.

For Sujeet, the distinction between the two competitions is clear. The Asian Games gold was a breakthrough, but he believes success at the World Championships would carry even greater weight.

“The Games are important from an Indian point of view, but it is an Asian tournament. The Olympics and Worlds are the most important because these are the hardest to win. It will give me a lot more joy if I win in these,” he says.

The challenge will be formidable. At last year’s World Championships, Sujeet lost 5-6 to Iran’s Amouzad in what was the Iranian’s closest bout of the competition. The narrow defeat left the Indian convinced that he could compete with the eventual champion.

“I knew that I’m not that far from him. I actually thought I was better than him. I felt I had to wrestle my normal way,” Sujeet says.

Although Sujeet returned from last year’s World Championships without a medal, his performances since then have strengthened his confidence. More importantly, he believes he has improved as a wrestler.

“Compared to the last World Championships, I think I’m a much better wrestler. I’ve improved a lot. I’ve worked on a couple of positions where I felt I was weaker last time,” he says.

His Asian Games victory over Kiyooka, meanwhile, was not without its flaws. Although beating the Olympic champion was a significant achievement, Sujeet believes he could have performed better.

“I don’t think this was my best bout of the year. I hope I have an even better bout at the World Championships. I made a lot of mistakes in that bout. It was the biggest opponent I had faced, but it was a lot closer than it should have been,” he says.

Kiyooka will not be competing in Astana, but Sujeet expects a difficult field, with Amouzad and wrestlers from Russia among those he could face. He does not believe there is a clear favourite in the 65kg category.

“Everyone is at the same level. A lot will matter on who can perform on that day,” he says.

The stakes are high for Indian wrestling, too. Only Sushil Kumar has won a gold medal for India at the World Championships, giving Sujeet an additional incentive to pursue a title that would place him among the country’s most successful wrestlers.

Although he knows he won’t be at his best, Sujeet is clear that he is not just going to make up the numbers.

“Yes, my preparation isn’t the best, but I will try to compete for gold. It’s not that if I’ve not been able to train well, I’ll just try to participate and come back,” he says.