Tough Draws Face Indian Wrestlers at the Asian Games

Indian wrestlers face tough opening rounds and difficult brackets across several weight divisions as competition approaches at the Asian Games 2026.

Men's Freestyle

Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat could face fellow Olympic bronze medallist Gulomjon Abdullaev or Japan's Yamato Ogawa in the first round. Beyond that, Aman's path features N Aitanov of Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals and Iran's Ali Hossein Momenijoujadeh in the semi-finals. In the 65 kg category, Sujeet Kalkal shares a half with Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka. Sujeet faces a potential quarter-final against Iran's Mohammadreza Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi and a semi-final against Kiyooka. Sagar Jaglan enters the toughest half of the 74 kg bracket, meeting reigning Asian Champion Tumur Ochir Tulga in round one. Meanwhile, Deepak Punia enjoys an easier start in the 97 kg class against China's Zhou Junpeng, avoiding top contenders Arash Yoshida and Amirali Azarpira until the final.

Women's and Greco-Roman Bouts

Antim Panghal stands as India's biggest medal hope, carrying a potential semi-final against China's Zhang Jin, whom Antim has beaten twice before in close matches. Young Dipanshi faces a difficult opening test against Yui Susaki in the 50 kg division, while Manisha Bhanwala has a potential match against unbeaten Japanese wrestler Akari Fujinami in the 57 kg category. Nisha Dahiya meets North Korea's Park Gol Sum in the first round, facing the same opponent who injured her during the quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Indian men's Greco-Roman squad is depleted following two withdrawals due to doping cases in the 67 kg and 130 kg categories. However, Nitesh Siwach and Sunil Kumar secured more manageable draws, with Nitesh opening against Turkmenistan's Amanberdi Agamammedov and Sunil having relatively easy early rounds before a potential semi-final against Japan's Taizo Yoshida. In the 60 kg category, Sumit Dalal enters a packed half that includes Uzbekistan's World championship silver medallist Alisher Ganiev and 2023 Asian Games silver medallist Ayata Suzuki.

Context

Major multi-sport competitions like the Asian Games bring together top athletes from across the continent, where early round brackets heavily influence a competitor's medal chances. A challenging draw means athletes must defeat elite opponents much earlier in the tournament. These early match-ups often determine whether a medal contender advances to the podium or exits the competition early.