Wrestling squad

President Sanjay Singh: Experienced campaigner and Asian Games silver medallist Deepak Punia underlined his class with a commanding performance at the selection trials, as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) finalized a strong men's squad for the 2026 Asian Games at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Lucknow on Sunday.

Joining him in the Indian contingent are World No. 1 Sujeet Kalkal, Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat, and 2023 Asian Games bronze medallist Sunil Kumar, with the latter set to lead a confident Greco-Roman unit that has been on an upward trajectory following a string of impressive results at the recent Asian Championships.

With 169 wrestlers in contention, Paris Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat lived up to expectations, cruising to an 11-1 victory over Rahul in the 57kg final. World No. 1 Sujeet Kalkal also booked his ticket to Aichi-Nagoya with a composed 2-0 win over Vishal Kaliramana in the 65kg category. Experienced campaigner and Asian Games silver medallist Deepak Punia, who has largely competed in the 86kg division, successfully secured the 97kg berth after overpowering Jointy Kumar 8-0 to continue his strong run of form.