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Sujeet Kalkal Strikes Gold, Aman Sehrawat Takes Silver at Zagreb Open

Sujeet Kalkal dominated the 65kg division to win gold without conceding a single point throughout the tournament. Paris 2024 bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat added a silver in the 61kg category, marking his third career medal at the Zagreb Open. Abhimanyu fought back from a semi-final loss to secure the bronze medal in the 70kg competition. Several other Indian wrestlers, including Ankush and Mukul Dahiya, reached medal bouts but fell just short of the podium.

Key Points: India Wins 3 Medals at Zagreb Open Wrestling 2026

  • Sujeet Kalkal wins 65kg gold
  • Aman Sehrawat claims 61kg silver
  • Abhimanyu earns 70kg bronze
  • Indian men's freestyle team starts strong
  • Antim Panghal to compete Saturday
2 min read

Zagreb Open: Gold for Sujeet, silver for Aman as India start campaign with three medals

Sujeet Kalkal wins gold, Aman Sehrawat silver as Indian wrestlers secure three medals on opening day of Zagreb Open 2026.

"without dropping a single point - Olympics.com"

Zagreb, February 5

Sujeet Kalkal started India's campaign at the Zagreb Open 2026 with a gold medal in the 65 kg division, with the men's freestyle wrestlers capturing three medals on the opening day on Wednesday.

Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat and Abhimanyu settled for silver (61 kg) and bronze (70 kg), respectively, according to Olympics.com.

Sujeet is a world champion at the under-23 level and had an unforgettable run towards the title, without dropping a single point. The 23-year-old secured a 3-0 win over Iran's Peyman Ali Nemati in the final.

He also outclassed Khamzat Arsamerzouev of France via technical superiority in the quarter-finals and in the semifinals, eliminating two-time Pan American champion Joseph McKenna of the USA by 11-0.

Aman's silver was his third medal at Zagreb in his career. The youngest Indian Olympic medalist got victories over Reza Hossein Momenijoujadeh (12-2) and Georgia's Giorgi Goniashvili (10-0) and had received a walkover from Palestine's Ali Aburmaila. In the title clash against the USA's Austin DeSanto, he lost 8-0 and had to settle for a silver.

Coming to the 70kg competition, Abhimanyu started off with an incredible 10-pointer-to-none win over USA's Tyler Kasak in the quarter-finals but fell 10-0 in the semis to Iran's Sina Khalili. But he came back to form just in time for the bronze medal clash, outclassing USA's Ian Parker 6-3.

Coming to the men's 57 kg division, Ankush reached the bronze bout through repechage, but lost to Iran's Milad Valizadeh by 10-0 and also Atish Todkar exited in the qualification round in the same weight category.

In 86 kg, Mukul Dahiya lost to Iran's Ali Savadkouhi 6-5 in the bronze medal playoff, denying India another prize.

Sandeep Singh Mann (86kg), Deepak (74kg) and Chandermohan (74kg) failed to make a mark. Olympian and two-time World Championships bronze medalist Antim Panghal will be in action on Saturday.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So proud of all our wrestlers! Aman getting silver is also a huge achievement. The competition at Zagreb is always top-tier. Can't wait to see Antim Panghal compete on Saturday. Jai Hind!
R
Rohit P
Great results, but we need to be more consistent against Iran and USA in the finals. Aman's 8-0 loss in the gold match shows there's still a gap to bridge. More focus on mental strength in big finals is needed. Respect to all athletes though.
A
Ananya R
Sujeet beating an Iranian in the final is the highlight for me! Iran is a wrestling powerhouse. This gold medal taste is so sweet. Abhimanyu's comeback for bronze was also brilliant. Chak De India!
D
David E
Following from the US. Impressive showing by Team India. McKenna is a tough competitor and Sujeet handled him easily. The depth in Indian wrestling is really growing. Good luck for the rest of the tournament!
K
Karthik V
These tournaments are perfect preparation for the big events. Winning and losing both teach important lessons. Hope the federation provides continuous support and exposure trips. The boys are putting in the hard work.

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