India’s Wrestlers Script History at Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya
India’s wrestling contingent has returned from Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with their heads held high and their chests decorated with medals, having produced the country’s finest performance at the Asian Games in 64 years. With a total haul of six medals — two gold, two silver and two bronze — India’s wrestlers surpassed all expectations at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center to deliver a landmark chapter in the history of Indian sport.
The final day of wrestling at the Asian Games 2026 saw three more medals added to India’s tally. Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men’s freestyle 57kg category, defeating the reigning world champion from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Antim Panghal settled for silver in the women’s 53kg event after losing a hard-fought final to Japan’s world champion. Deepak Punia rounded off the day with a bronze in the men’s freestyle 97kg division.
The six-medal tally is India’s best at the Asian Games since Jakarta 1962, when the Indian wrestling team had recorded an extraordinary haul of twelve medals — three gold, six silver and three bronze. The last time India won as many as two wrestling golds at a single Asian Games edition was at Bangkok 1978 and Jakarta 2018, but those campaigns produced only three medals in total. The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 campaign, with its breadth across multiple weight categories and both genders, stands as India’s most complete wrestling performance in over six decades.
Aman Sehrawat: From Paris Bronze to Asian Gold
Of all the Indian wrestlers who competed at the Asian Games 2026, no performance drew more attention than that of Aman Sehrawat. India’s youngest Olympic medallist — he won bronze in the men’s freestyle 57kg at the Paris 2024 Olympics — Aman came to Aichi-Nagoya as one of the favourites in his category but faced the sternest possible test in the gold medal final: Han Chong Song of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the reigning world champion who had also won the Asian Championships title in 2025.
The bout was a riveting contest that swung back and forth. Aman built an early commanding advantage of 6-1 and looked set for a comfortable victory. However, Han Chong Song’s class showed as the Korean wrestler scored six unanswered points to turn the scoreboard in his favour at 7-6. The Asian Games gold appeared to be slipping away from the Indian.
Aman’s response was the mark of a champion. Refusing to panic, he regrouped and produced a clinical four-point move to retake the lead at 10-7. An unsuccessful challenge from Han’s corner — where the DPRK team tried to contest a referee’s decision — handed Aman another technical point, taking his score to 11-7. He closed out the bout from there to win the gold medal in what was a memorable final.
The victory was Aman’s latest example of his extraordinary mental fortitude in pressure situations. Earlier in the tournament, he had beaten Japan’s Yamato Ogawa 20-9 by technical superiority in the round of 16, and overpowered Kazakhstan’s Nurdanat Aitanov 12-1 in the quarter-finals. His semi-final against Tajikistan’s Aiaal Belolyubskii was another comeback story — trailing 6-2 after the opening period, Aman stormed back to win 14-8 and book his place in the final.
Aman Sehrawat’s gold was India’s second wrestling gold at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. The first had been won by Sujeet Kalkal in the men’s freestyle 65kg event on Friday — another landmark performance that had set the tone for the final day’s heroics.
Antim Panghal: Silver and a Growing Legacy
Antim Panghal has been building toward greatness for several years, and at the Asian Games 2026, she confirmed that she belongs among the elite of Asian wrestling. The women’s 53kg final saw Antim face Japan’s Moe Kiyooka — the 2024 world champion in the 55kg category — in what was always going to be a difficult assignment on Japanese soil in front of a partisan home crowd.
Kiyooka proved too strong on the day, leading 2-0 after the opening period and maintaining control for most of the contest. Antim reduced the deficit late in the second period, showing the fighting spirit that has characterised her career, but Kiyooka responded immediately and pulled away in the closing stages to win 9-1. While the result was a defeat, Antim’s silver medal is no mean achievement — reaching the final against the world’s best is a powerful statement of where Indian women’s wrestling stands on the global stage.
To reach the gold medal bout, Antim had been magnificent throughout the competition. She opened with a dominant 9-0 win over Kazakhstan’s Shugyla Omirbek, then beat Uzbekistan’s Sakibjamal Esbosynova by fall in the quarter-finals — a dominant technical victory. Her semi-final against China’s Zhang Jin, the reigning Asian champion, was perhaps her finest performance of the tournament. Overcoming the defending champion 6-1 to reach the final illustrated just how far Antim Panghal has come as a wrestler.
The silver is Antim’s second consecutive Asian Games medal, having won bronze at Hangzhou 2023. She is rapidly establishing herself as one of India’s most reliable performers on the continental wrestling circuit, and attention will now turn to what she can achieve at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Deepak Punia Adds Bronze in Men’s 97kg
Deepak Punia, one of the most experienced members of India’s wrestling squad, contributed a bronze medal in the men’s freestyle 97kg event to round off India’s tally on the final day. Punia beat Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1 in the bronze medal bout — a tight contest that demonstrated the narrow margins at the top level of international wrestling.
Punia had impressed throughout the competition before his semi-final exit. He opened with a 12-2 technical superiority win over China’s Junpeng Zhou and received a quarter-final walkover after Hong Kong China’s Wui Fung Vincent Li withdrew. However, his semi-final run ended with a narrow 9-8 loss to Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Poyonov, who went on to contest the gold medal bout.
The bronze is Deepak Punia’s second consecutive Asian Games medal — he had won silver at Hangzhou 2023 — making him one of the most consistent Indian wrestlers on the Asian circuit. His ability to perform under pressure and navigate the repechage route to a podium finish once again underlined his exceptional value to the Indian wrestling setup.
India’s Complete Wrestling Medal Table at Asian Games 2026
India’s six wrestling medals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games came from across disciplines and weight categories, reflecting the depth of the country’s wrestling programme:
- Gold — Sujeet Kalkal (Men’s Freestyle 65kg)
- Gold — Aman Sehrawat (Men’s Freestyle 57kg)
- Silver — Nitesh Siwach (Greco-Roman 97kg)
- Silver — Antim Panghal (Women’s Freestyle 53kg)
- Bronze — Sunil Kumar (Greco-Roman 87kg)
- Bronze — Deepak Punia (Men’s Freestyle 97kg)
The two golds, two silvers and two bronzes across freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines for both men and women illustrate the breadth of India’s wrestling programme — no longer is the country reliant on one or two exceptional individuals; there is now genuine depth across the disciplines.
Why This Matters: Historical Context
To understand the magnitude of what India’s wrestlers achieved at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, it is important to look at the historical record. India’s best-ever Asian Games wrestling campaign came in Jakarta 1962, when the country claimed 12 medals — three gold, six silver and three bronze. That was an era when Indian wrestling was genuinely among the best in Asia. Over the following decades, however, India’s wrestling fortunes declined as nations like Japan, Iran, China, South Korea and the former Soviet republics came to dominate the continental and world scene.
India’s wrestling revival has been building steadily. The country’s investment in wrestling infrastructure, training facilities and international exposure through tournaments like the World Wrestling Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Wrestling Championships has paid dividends. Stars like Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Ravi Kumar Dahiya helped establish the template; now a new generation — led by Aman Sehrawat and Antim Panghal — is carrying that legacy forward.
Six medals at an Asian Games, including two golds, marks the clearest sign yet that Indian wrestling is back among the continent’s elite. With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on the horizon, this campaign will serve as a powerful confidence-builder for Indian wrestlers and coaches alike.
The Road to LA 2028
Aman Sehrawat, having gone from Paris 2024 bronze to Asian Games 2026 gold in the 57kg division, is now firmly established as India’s top medal contender in wrestling for the next Olympics. His ability to come from behind and win against world-level competition — as he demonstrated against Han Chong Song in the Asian Games final — is the hallmark of a true champion.
Antim Panghal’s silver medal at the Asian Games, combined with her wins over the Asian champion in the semi-finals, suggests she has the tools to compete for an Olympic medal if she continues on her current trajectory. The women’s wrestling programme in India has made enormous strides, and Antim is one of its brightest standard-bearers.
Deepak Punia’s consistent medal-winning at consecutive Asian Games editions keeps him in contention for Olympic selection, while Sujeet Kalkal’s gold in the 65kg category introduces another serious medal prospect into the equation. The next two years leading up to LA 2028 will see fierce competition for India’s Olympic quota spots — which is exactly the kind of healthy pressure that elevates performances when it matters most.
Conclusion: India’s Wrestling Renaissance
The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games will be remembered in Indian wrestling history as the moment the sport’s renaissance became undeniable. Six medals, including two golds, across multiple disciplines and weight categories — men and women, freestyle and Greco-Roman — this is the most comprehensive wrestling performance India has produced in 64 years. Aman Sehrawat’s gold against the world champion, Antim Panghal’s silver with wins over the Asian champion, and Deepak Punia’s reliable bronze all tell the story of a wrestling programme that is firing on all cylinders.
India’s wrestlers have made the nation proud at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. As the country continues to invest in the sport and more young talent comes through the pipeline, the future of Indian wrestling looks brighter than it has in decades. The gold medals won at these Asian Games are not just medals — they are promises of what is to come.
