Narrow quarterfinal exit for Sujeet

Indian wrestler Sujeet Kalkal produced one of his finest performances on the world stage, nearly stunning Paris Olympics silver medallist Rahman Mousa Amzoud Khalili, before bowing out with a heartbreaking 5-6 loss in the men’s freestyle 65kg quarterfinal at the World Championships in Zagreb on Monday.

Sujeet, known for his stamina, pushed the former world champion to the brink. While Rahman looked dominant early, taking a 4-0 lead in the opening period, he struggled to keep up with Sujeet’s pace in the later stages. The Indian struck back with a sharp takedown and then launched a decisive right-leg attack. However, the Iranian countered smartly to stretch his lead to 6-3.

With less than 20 seconds remaining, Sujeet executed another takedown to close the gap to 5-6. By then Rahman was visibly exhausted, barely able to continue, but the clock came to his rescue. Sujeet, left frustrated, tapped the mat in disappointment as the bout ended.

Despite the narrow defeat, Sujeet remains in medal contention if Rahman advances to the final. Earlier, the Indian had impressed with commanding wins, beating Turkiye’s Cavit Acar 15-5 and Korea’s Kwan Jin Kim 9-2 to reach the quarters.

India’s other wrestlers, however, endured a disappointing day. In men’s freestyle, Vicky was stopped in the quarterfinals by Iran’s Amirali Hamid Azrapira, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist.

The women’s campaign also faltered. Nishu (55kg) lost to Japan’s Sowaka Uchida, though Uchida’s semifinal entry has kept her repechage hopes alive. In 59kg, Sarika exited in the pre-quarterfinals against Russia’s Anastasia Sidelnikova, who later lost her quarterfinal, ending Sarika’s chances.

Sarika had been a late replacement for Neha Sangwan, who was suspended by the Wrestling Federation of India following her disqualification at the U20 World Championships last month for being overweight.