Sujeet Kalkal storms into wrestling 65kg semifinal
Sujeet Kalkal secures a spot in the 65kg wrestling semifinal with a dominant win, while Vishnu Saravanan finishes fourth in sailing.
Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal has booked his place in the men's freestyle 65kg semifinal at the Asian Games 2026 following a clinical performance in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. While Kalkal continued his dominant run, veteran sailor Vishnu Saravanan narrowly missed a podium finish, concluding his campaign in fourth place.
Kalkal dominates Iran to reach semifinals
The former U23 champion showcased his strength and technical prowess on Friday, securing a commanding 10-0 technical superiority victory over Iran's Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi. This victory follows his previous impressive performance in the round of 16, where he defeated Afghanistan's Sayed Omar Zazai with a 13-3 scoreline.
In his match against Abbas, Kalkal asserted control from the opening whistle. After an initial four-point surge was reduced to two following a successful challenge, the Indian responded aggressively. Two successful headlock moves and a precise leg attack allowed Kalkal to enter the second period with a commanding 8-0 lead. He maintained this momentum, adding two more points within the first 30 seconds of the second period to seal the 10-0 shutout.
Sailing heartbreak for Vishnu Saravanan
In the men's dinghy sailing event, Vishnu Saravanan finished just outside the medal positions. Despite showing great consistency by finishing second in each of the final two races, the veteran could not secure a spot on the podium. The final rankings were determined by the average of results across nine races, leaving Saravanan in fourth place.
Archery shines as India secures gold and silver
India's medal haul received a significant boost earlier in the day through stellar performances in archery. The women's recurve team, comprising Kumkum Mohod, Ankita Bhakat, and Kirti Sharma, clinched gold after a thrilling 5-3 victory over South Korea.
The success continued in the mixed recurve team event, where Kumkum and Dhiraj Bommadevara secured a silver medal. They fell 3-5 to China's Zhu Jingyi and Li Mengqi in a competitive final. While the silver was a significant achievement, the victory meant India missed out on the direct Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification quota, which went to China.
Other key results from Day 13:
- Volleyball: India's men's team defeated South Korea 3-1 in the classification match for fifth to eighth places.
- Canoe Slalom: Pradhyumna Singh Rathod and Shikha Chauhan both advanced to the women's/men's kayak cross quarterfinals.
- Track Cycling: David Beckham successfully qualified for the men's keirin semifinal.
- Taekwondo: Kashish Malik reached the mixed individual virtual taekwondo quarterfinal before being defeated 1-2 by Kazakhstan's Rita Bakisheva.
As the games progress, India currently sits seventh on the overall medal table, with a tally of 68 medals (11 gold, 24 silver, and 33 bronze).