#WrestleNewDelhi

Younger Kawai Finally Gets Best of Rival Tynybekova with Dramatic Win in Possible Olympic Prelude

Friday, February 21, 2020 - 10:33 By Ken Marantz

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NEW DELHI (Feb. 21)— The minuscule amount of time on the clock was less significant than the location on the mat as Yukako KAWAI (JPN) pulled off a last-second victory over nemesis and world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in what could be regarded a prelude to the 2020 Olympic final.

Kawai, who had lost two previous meetings with Tynybekova within the past year, pulled off a dramatic lateral drop at the edge to notch a 4-1 victory in their quarterfinal match to start the women’s 57kg competition on the fourth day of the Asian Championships.

Kawai, a 2018 world silver medalist who had to settle for a bronze last September in Nur-Sultan, followed up her win by defeating up-and-coming teenager Sonam SONAM (IND) in the semifinals as all five Japanese in action made it to the finals, to be held in the night session at K.D. Jahrav Wrestling Stadium.

In another high-profile match early in the program, world silver medalist Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) made it 3 for 3 in meetings with bronze medalist and local star Vinesh VINESH (IND) with a 6-2 win in their quarterfinal clash at 53kg. 

Rio 2016 Olympic and three-time world champion Risako KAWAI (JPN) took some time to get in gear, but joined younger sister Yukako in the finals with two solid victories at 57kg. 

Yukako Kawai had lost to Tynybekova in the final of the 2019 Asian Champi0nships in Xi’an, China, then again in the second round at the World Championships in Nur-Sultan. 

“At the World Championships, I didn’t wrestle my match and ended up losing,” Kawai said. “So I focused on wrestling in my style.”

Until the dramatic finish, the only points came on the activity clock, with Tynybekova earning hers in the second period to be ahead on criteria. Kawai got nowhere with a front headlock, then worked to secure a double underhook as the seconds ticked off. She then hit the lateral drop to slam Tynybekova to her back with :02 on the clock.

The big issue was whether the move was launched outside of the circle, but it was upheld on video challenge, giving Kawai her final point.

“I was aware of the time, and if I was going to lose anyway, I thought I have to just give something a shot,” Kawai said. “It was all or nothing.”

Kawai regards the victory as giving her a psychological edge going into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“She’s an opponent whom I have never beaten, so I wanted to beat her once going into the Olympics,” Kawai said.  

Kawai still had to get past Sonam, who ousted veteran Sakshi MALIK (IND) from the national team spot at 62kg. Trailing 1-0 going into the second period, Kawai scored a stepout point while on the activity clock, then added a takedown en route to a 5-2 victory.

“Looking at her videos, I had the image that she was very powerful, and in reality, she was really strong, and she made it difficult for me,” Kawai said. “From that match I saw things I need to work on when I get back home in practice.”

In the final, Kawai will face 2017 Asian bronze medalist Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ) in an attempt to capture her first senior continental title. 

Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) won her third straight match against Vinesh VINESH (IND) with a 6-2 opening round win. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

At 53kg, Mukaida used a nifty sweeping single-leg attack to both sides to get past Vinesh. After the second, she added a gut-wrench to go-ahead 6-0. While Vinesh scored her first-ever points against the Japanese with a sweeping single of herown, her attacks were effectively shut down.

“This was our third meeting and Vinesh is really a strong competitor,” Mukaida said. “I had to be wary of her. I’m sure she did her homework as well, so it was difficult, but I was able to get in [on my attacks].”

Indian women’s team coach Andy COOK said he was encouraged by what he saw from Vinesh.

“The game plan we had worked, for the time we were in it,” Cook said. “As we switched up a little bit, we got caught up, and we gave up really one takedown and two gut wrenches. 

“We have to work on a different par terre defense, just make a small adjustment so she doesn’t make any big body movements. That’s what caught us, when she went from a lace to a gut and then, bam!”

Mukaida, who made the final with an 10-0 technical fall of Thi Ly KIEU (VIE), will aim to regain the Asian title she won in 2017 in New Delhi when she faces Tatyana AKHMETOVA AMANZHOL (KAZ) in the final.

“This time, the big match was at the beginning,” Mukaida said. “It’s also my first competition in a while. To get back my match sense, I thought all the time before coming that I want to have a good tournament.”

Risako KAWAI (JPN) is on a quest to win her fourth Asian gold medal. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Risako Kawai, the Asian champion in 2015, 2016 and 2017, will try for title No. 4 when she faces Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL) in the final.

Kawai opened with a 7-0 win over Sevara ESHMURATOVA (UZB), in which she had just an activity point in the first period, then overwhelmed Anshu ANSHU (IND) by 10-0 technical fall in the semifinals.  

“I was nervous,” Kawai admitted. “It’s my first overseas tournament since the World Championships, so I was a bit nervous, and a little tight. The first match went like it did, but in the second match I was moving much better.”

Japan’s other finalists are 2019 Asian silver medalist Naomi RUIKE (JPN) at 65kg and world U-23 bronze medalist Mei SHINDO (JPN) at 72kg. 

Ruike will face Malik for the gold in a rematch of their preliminary group match, which Ruike won 2-1 with all points scored on the activity clock. Malik has already improved on the bronze medals she won the past two years. 

Shindo’s last barrier on the path to gold comes in the form of Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), also a bronze medalist from 2019.

Day 4 Results

Women’s Wrestling

53kg (10 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) df. Thi Ly KIEU (VIE) by TF, 10-0, 2:09
SEMIFINAL – Tatyana AKHMETOVA AMANZHOL (KAZ) df. Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA by Fall, 4:48 (11-0)

57kg (8 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Risako KAWAI (JPN) df. Anshu ANSHU (IND) by TF, 10-0, 1:10
SEMIFINAL – Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR (MGL) df. Altynay SATYLGAN (KAZ) by Fall, 5:16 (4-3) 

62kg (8 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Yukako KAWAI (JPN) df Sonam SONAM (IND), 5-2
SEMIFINAL – Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ) df. Nomin Erdene PURVEE (MGL) by Fall, 3:31 (4-0)

65kg (6 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Naomi RUIKE (JPN) df. Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL) by Fall, 5:59 (11-3)
SEMIFINAL – Sakshi MALIK (IND) df. Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB), 5-4 

72kg (6 entries)
SEMIFINAL – Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) df. Tsevegmed ENKHBAYAR (MGL) by TF, 10-0, 3:31
SEMIFINAL – Mei SHINDO (JPN) df. Preet Kaur GURSHARAN (IND) by Fall, 3:46 (12-1)

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships: Rise of Sujeet Fuels India’s 65kg Gold Hopes

Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 14:05 By Vinay Siwach

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 4) -- When SUJEET (IND) steps on the mat at the Asian Championships in Bishkek on Friday, he will carry hopes of a country looking for an Asian champion in a Freestyle weight class other than 57kg for the past seven years.

The 23-year-old is unbeaten this year, winning gold medals at the Zagreb Open and Muhamet Malo Ranking Series, making him the favorite to win gold at 65kg in Bishkek. The last time India won a gold medal at the Asian Championships was 2019 when Bajrang PUNIA (IND) won in Xi'an, China.

"I don't think much about anything," Sujeet says. "I say the name of the God and step on the mat. I will do the same at the Asian Championships.

"I am happy that I wrestle at 65kg because India has a decent history at 65kg. I will also try to carry it forward."

The 65kg field in Bishkek includes returning 61kg Asian champion Takara SUDA (JPN) who is moving up one weight. Suda's ability to score at any time in a bout puts him as the biggest threat against Sujeet.

World bronze medalist Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) is another strong competitor for Sujeet. The Indian enjoys a 4-0 head-to-head record against the Uzbekistan wrestler but at last year's Asian Championships, Sujeet pulled out of his bronze medal bout against Jalolov due to an injury.

Another tough competitor for Sujeet can be Peyman NEMATI (IRI). The two wrestled in the final of the Zagreb Open and the Iranian managed to keep Sujeet quiet despite losing 3-0. He will be keen to avenge that loss and win gold for Iran.

Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK), a world bronze medalist at 70kg in 2024, can spring a surprise and so can former U17 world champion Rustamzhan KAKHAROV (KGZ).

Early Start

Hailing from village Imlota, Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, a state that produces majority of wrestlers in India, Sujeet was introduced to wrestling in his village.

"There was an old akhada [training school] in my village so I used to go there," he says. "No coach had formal experience as such and I used to lose at the district level. I remember I lost in 2019 at the state level."

While there was little history of wrestling in the village itself, Sujeet's father Dayanand KALKAL was a national-level wrestler and was keen for his son to pick the sport as well. Till 2020, Sujeet continued training in the village.

"I was decent in studies," he says. "I balanced it with wrestling but after school, it was all wrestling. My village was very supportive of my wrestling. And then in 2021, I made the switch."

From south-west Haryana, Sujeet moved to Sonipat, a district in Haryana 60 kilometers north of New Delhi. With more experienced training partners, Sujeet could feel the improvements in his wrestling.

"The shift in 2021 to Sonipat changed my wrestling," he says. "My wrestling matured and the other wrestlers had international experience so it helped me in all aspects."

SUJEET (IND)SUJEET (IND), third from left, won a bronze medal at the 2022 U20 World Championships in Sofia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In just one year, Sujeet made the U20 Indian team and was on his way to Bulgaria for the World Championships. He lost to Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) in the semifinals but won a bronze medal at 65kg, his first in international wrestling on debut.

"I was happy that I won a medal in my first-ever competition despite it being bronze," he says. "My wrestling was different than my opponents. I had never experienced that. But slowly I got used to it."

The biggest challenge for Sujeet was the vast difference in wrestling between junior and senior levels.

"When you shift from junior to senior, there is a lot of difference from power to technique," he says. "Opponents study you a lot once you are consistently competing. Everyone studies each other but I stick to my techniques."

Senior Career

Sujeet made the required adjustments and won the senior nationals in India to make the team with a hope to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. But that journey ended in a heartbreak.

At the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek, Sujeet failed to reach the competition due to floods at the Dubai airport. A month later at the World Olympic Qualifiers in Istanbul, Sujeet squandered a 2-0 lead against Zain RETHERFORD (USA) and missed out on a ticket to Paris.

"My father says do not celebrate too much when you win, don't be disheartened when you lose, balance it," he says. "So I try to keep it balanced. I don't sulk when I lose. I think about it a little and then move on, sit with my friends and try to see what I can improve."

In need of training partners who could challenge him with different styles, Sujeet spent a few months training overseas. He picked Mongolia, Russia and Japan, and picked a few details from the sparring sessions. He also realized that depending on the renowned Indian conditioning will not be enough to win medals at the world level.

"In India, the training lasts long, usually 3-4 hours," he says. "In Japan, they have smaller training sessions with focus on speed. Russia also has longer sessions with focus on scrambles and bouts.

"Our stamina comes from the longer trainings which are also very hard. The Indian sit-ups are quite different. Others also have unique ways to train but they focus on their own styles. But we ultimately work hard for longer bouts."

Sujeet ended 2024 with a bronze medal at 70kg at the U23 World Championships.

For the majority of 2025, he remained an under-the-radar wrestler. He won the Ranking Series event in Budapest but was far off from being a medal threat at the September World Championships. However, a bout against Olympic silver medalist Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) at the World Championships caught the attention of the fans.

Though he lost 6-5, Sujeet was surprisingly the only wrestler who troubled Amouzad, the eventual world champion, in Zagreb.

"It was my first bout so I was all over the place and he was clearly stronger than me," he recalls. "May be next time I will be calmer. I took too much pressure on myself to win a medal and that showed in my bout against Real WOODS (USA)."

Woods beat Sujeet in repechage after an initial flurry of turns and then defended his lead to win 7-5. Sujeet returned home empty-handed.

SUJEET (IND)SUJEET (IND), second from left, as the U23 world champion in 2025. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Unbeaten Streak

But in a month's time, Sujeet would make amends and win the U23 world title with a stunning series of win over former U23 world champion Bashir MAGOMEDOV (UWW) in the quarterfinals, former U20 world champion Yuto NISHUCHI (JPN) in semifinals and Jalolov, who had won bronze in Zagreb, 10-0 in the final. He scored in the final 10 seconds in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

"At the U23 Worlds, I did not care much about the draw," he says. "I think I can manage to score at any moment. I do panic but I try to remain calm. I like going for the sweep and catch both legs to score points."

The Asian Championships will be a huge test of Sujeet's recent form and skill. A gold in Bishkek can put him in the top-tier of 65kg. Does he have the class to win in Bishkek and beyond?

"My wrestling is going good," he says. "Some win via technique, some win by speed. I personally feel my wrestling is good to win here."