Sujeet Kalkal’s 24-match winning streak ends in World Championships loss
The Indian wrestler lost a men’s 65kg quarterfinal 3-3 on criteria to Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev.
Sujeet Kalkal’s year-long unbeaten run ended at the World Championships after a dramatic quarterfinal defeat. Sportstar reported that Kudiev won on criteria by scoring the last point.
Key takeaways
- Sujeet Kalkal’s 24-match winning streak ended at the World Championships.
- He lost 3-3 on criteria to Abdulmazhid Kudiev of Tajikistan in the men’s 65kg quarterfinals.
- The match took place on Thursday, as reported by Sportstar.
- India’s hopes of a second men’s freestyle world champion after Sushil Kumar in 2010 were dashed.
Sujeet Kalkal’s 24-match winning streak ended with a 3-3 criteria defeat to Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev in the men’s 65kg quarterfinals at the World Championships on Thursday. The Indian wrestler’s year-long unbeaten run came to a close in the last-eight bout, dashing India’s hopes of producing a second men’s freestyle world champion after Sushil Kumar in 2010.
Match details
Sujeet conceded the opening point for passivity before taking a 2-1 lead with a takedown five seconds before the end of the first period. Kudiev was penalised for passivity, extending the Indian’s lead to 3-1.
In the final 30 seconds, both wrestlers attempted takedowns near the edge of the mat. The chair umpire overturned an initial denial and awarded Sujeet two points, while Kudiev received a step-out point, leaving Sujeet seemingly ahead 5-2.
The Tajik corner challenged successfully, Sujeet’s two points were cancelled, and Kudiev received two points for his takedown to level the score at 3-3. Kudiev won on criteria by scoring the last point.
Recent record
The defeat was Sujeet’s first since losing in the repechage round at last year’s World Championships in Zagreb.
The 2025 World Wrestling Championships were held from 13 to 21 September 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia, at Arena Zagreb, and were the first World Wrestling Championships hosted by Croatia.
Over the past year, Sujeet won seven titles, including the U23 World Championships, the 2026 Asian Championships and the Asian Games.
Wrestling at the 2026 Asian Games was held between 30 September and 3 October 2026 at Inae Sports Center, with men competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman events and women competing in freestyle, with 18 gold medals awarded.
Earlier bouts and other results
Before the quarterfinal, Sujeet beat Switzerland’s Nino Leutert 12-1 by technical superiority and defeated Belarus’ Islam Guseinov 4-0.
In other results, Tanu Sharma advanced to the women’s 72kg bronze medal bout with a narrow 5-4 win over Tunisia’s Zainab Sghaier in the repechage round, while Srishti was eliminated after losing her women’s 68kg repechage bout to American Kennedy Blades.
Seasoned Manisha Bhanwala progressed to the women’s 59kg semifinals with a comfortable 6-0 win over Mongolia’s Bolortuya Khurelkhuu. In women’s 55kg, Ahilya Shinde beat Cuba’s Yaynelis Sanz Verdecia 8-1, but squandered a 3-0 lead to lose 6-9 to Turkey’s Tuba Demir.
In the men’s 97kg, Vicky reached the last-eight with wins over Sarco Colmenarez (8-2) and Radu Letter (10-0) but lost technical superiority (2-12) to Japan’s Arash Yoshida in the last-eight stage.
What happens next
Sujeet’s campaign at the World Championships is over after the quarterfinal defeat. No further match, date or venue is given in the sources.
Key results from Sujeet Kalkal’s World Championships campaign
Opponent | Country | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
Nino Leutert | Switzerland | Win by technical superiority | 12-1 |
Islam Guseinov | Belarus | Win | 4-0 |
Abdulmazhid Kudiev | Tajikistan | Loss on criteria | 3-3 |
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