Freestyle wrestlers from India struggle in Asian Championship 2025

India's men's freestyle wrestlers, except Sujeet Kalkal, struggled to cross even the first hurdle at the Asian Championships and three of them are now awaiting for the repechage route to open for them, here Saturday.

In the 65kg, Sujeet was off to a flying start, beating Palestinian Abdullah Assaf by technical superiority but could not breach the defence of Japanese Kaisei Tanabe.

Sujeet can still bounce back in medal contention via repechage route as Tanabe has made the title clash.

Similarly, Vishal Kaliraman's fate rests in the hands of his vanquisher Tulga Tumur Ochir from Mongolia. Vishal lost his opening bout 0-8 to 2022 Asian Games gold medallist.

Ochir is facing Tajikistan's Viktor Rassadin in the 65kg semifinal and if he wins, Vishal will get a chance to get back in the competition.

Competing in the 57kg in the absence of Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrwat, Chirag could not score even a single point, losing his bout by technical superiority to Almaz Smanbekov.

The Kyrgyzstan wrestler then lost his quarterfinal, shutting the repechage door on the Indian.

In the 79kg, Chandermohan bowed out of the competition after suffering a defeat by fall against Tajikistan's Magomet Evloev.