Sujeet Kalkal's unbeaten run ends at Wrestling Worlds after Asian Games high

Sujeet Kalkal's 24-match winning streak came to an end at the Wrestling World Championships on Thursday as he lost 3-3 on criteria to Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev in the men's 65kg quarter-finals. The defeat came days after Sujeet admitted that the celebrations and functions following his Asian Games gold had left him short of training ahead of the competition in Astana.

Sujeet had won seven titles over the past year, including the U23 World Championships, the Asian Championships and the 2026 Asian Games. His last defeat before Thursday had come in the repechage round of the World Championships in Zagreb last year.

The Indian wrestler had spoken openly about how life had changed after his Asian Games triumph. The gold medal brought him rewards and invitations to several functions, leaving him with less time to train.

"After the Asian Games, training itni acchi nahi ho payi hai (my training hasn't been as good as I would have liked). At most, I can do the morning training session, two hours from 5 AM. After that, I'm almost always called to a function or programme. I've never trained both times of the day like I was before the Asian Games," Sujeet was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

"I got a lot of rewards and respect after the Asian Games. Honestly, I didn't expect it. It was the first time I had won a Games," he added.

Sujeet said he had tried to leave functions early to protect his morning training sessions. He also insisted that his comments were not an attempt to lower expectations before the World Championships.

"It's the truth. I'm not trying to lower expectations for the sake of it. I have not trained as well as I could have," he said.KUDIEV GETS THE BETTER OF SUJEET

Sujeet had beaten Kudiev in the Asian Games final after coming back from a 2-9 deficit to win gold. He scored eight successive points in that bout, but the rematch in Astana went the other way.

Sujeet conceded the opening point for passivity but moved ahead 2-1 with a takedown just five seconds before the end of the first period. Kudiev was then penalised for passivity, allowing the Indian to extend his lead to 3-1.

The contest turned in the final 30 seconds. Sujeet went for a takedown near the edge of the mat but could not put Kudiev in a danger position. The Tajik wrestler responded with a takedown of his own.

The mat referee did not award Sujeet two points for his move, but the chair umpire intervened and gave him the points. Kudiev was also awarded a point for a step-out, leaving Sujeet ahead 5-2.

Kudiev's corner challenged the decision and won. Sujeet's two points were cancelled, while Kudiev received two points for his takedown. The score was level at 3-3.

Sujeet needed another scoring move in the closing seconds but could not find one. Kudiev held on to win on criteria, having scored the last point.

The defeat also ended India's hopes of producing a second men's freestyle world champion after Sushil Kumar, who won the title in 2010.

Sujeet had started his campaign with a 12-1 win over Switzerland's Nino Leutert by technical superiority. He followed it up with a 4-0 victory over Belarus' Islam Guseinov to book his place in the quarter-finals.

But Kudiev proved a hurdle Sujeet could not overcome this time. The Indian left the competition without a medal, extending his wait for a senior World Championships podium finish.- Ends