As I made my way to the launch of the sixth season of the Pro Wrestling League on Friday, October 9, finding a story was going to be a challenge. As journalists, we are always searching for that one angle, the thread that brings a story together. But with India’s Asian Games wrestling contingent also being felicitated at the venue, one question kept coming back to me: what do you write about athletes whose stories have already been told so many times?
The Asian Games had been a moment of celebration for Indian wrestling. The contingent returned with six medals, including two gold, two silver and two bronze, to deliver India’s best performance at the Games since Jakarta in 1962.
Much of the attention was on Aman Sehrawat, Antim Panghal, Sujeet Kalkal and Nitesh Siwach. Each had a story of resilience, setbacks and comebacks. But with their medal-winning exploits already making headlines, I found myself returning to the same question: what was left to discover about these wrestlers?
Aman’s gold medal offered redemption after the disappointment of his disqualification from the 2025 World Wrestling Championships. Sujeet’s remarkable comeback in the final was the sort of performance that lends itself to sporting folklore. Antim continued to make her mark in the 53kg category, even as comparisons with Vinesh Phogat followed her. Nitesh, meanwhile, became a central figure in India’s historic Greco-Roman wrestling campaign. His journey as a milkman’s son added another dimension to his achievement. Nitesh became the first Indian since 1962 to reach a Greco-Roman wrestling final at the Asian Games.
Their stories had already been told, their triumphs celebrated. I needed to look beyond the familiar narratives to understand what these wrestlers wanted the world to know about them now.
What else could be written or said about these athletes?
At the event, journalists seemed to be asking the same questions. How did it feel? What was your diet? How did you celebrate? What did your parents say? What are your expectations for the LA Olympics?
The questions were familiar, and so were the answers. The repeated rounds of interviews began to feel like another bout, one that was slowly draining the wrestlers.
A tired and worn-out Antim joked that, after attending multiple events and facing journalists, the gruelling routine of training seemed like the better option.
“When I came back from Japan, my coach said, ‘you have one week of rest. You have to train a little less and go out and enjoy yourself. Travel wherever you want to go and attend events and things like that.’ So I thought, yes, okay, that’s good. Now I will go out and travel a little. But now I feel like I should have continued training. Training is even better than this,” said Antim.
That remark offered a glimpse of a side of these wrestlers that rarely makes the headlines. After all, this is the new generation, the so-called Gen Z of Indian wrestling, that has made the mat its own and given the country fresh hope of winning multiple medals at the Olympics.
India’s wrestling medal streak at the Olympics has continued since 2008. But there is something particularly fascinating about this group, and our conversations with these four athletes offered a glimpse into what makes them tick. Away from the medals and the mat, there are teddy bears, sushi cravings, milk deliveries and ambitions that stretch far beyond the next tournament.
A TEDDY BEAR WITH AN OLYMPIC DREAM
As Antim moved around the venue, one detail was hard to miss. She carried a small black bag with a kitty’s face on it, with a pink teddy bear clinging to it, a striking contrast to the fierce competitor who grapples with opponents on the mat.
It soon became clear that Antim is a teddy bear enthusiast, collecting them whenever she gets the chance.
“I have a lot of them. I keep collecting them and buying more, but this one stays with me,” said Antim. “I have a very strong liking for teddy bears.”
It is a different picture from the one she presents on the mat. The youngster from Haryana is focused, intense and never afraid to show her emotions when a bout gets heated.
Competing in the 53kg category, Antim has often found herself at the centre of comparisons with Vinesh Phogat, who made her mark in the same weight category. But the 22-year-old is keen to carve out her own legacy. Her ambition is not to become the next Vinesh, but to set records that stand the test of time.
“There is no need to compare Vinesh ji and me. She works hard in her place, and I work hard in mine. I go to the Olympics thinking that I have to make records, records that nobody can break,” said Antim.
And if she does win an Olympic medal, what would the celebrations look like? Would she add another teddy bear to her collection?
“I will buy a very big one. I will bring one that is bigger than me,” said Antim.
For a wrestler who wants to create unbreakable records, it seems only fitting that the celebration should involve a teddy bear almost as big as the achievement itself.
A SUSHI LOVER TRIUMPHS IN JAPAN
Sujeet Kalkal is the kind of person who seems to put everyone at ease. Calm and patient on the mat, he carries the same demeanour off it. Even as journalists crowded around him, he never appeared to be in a hurry to move on.
When a reporter accidentally addressed him as Ajeet, the Asian Games gold medallist laughed and gently corrected him.
At the venue, Sujeet sported a flashy pair of shoes and an Adidas co-ord set, making it easy to assume he was a big fan of the brand. When asked about it, he revealed the secret.
“I’m actually a fan of another brand. I just wore it for now.”
The outfit was not the only thing that caught the eye. Sujeet also carried a pair of scars on his neck, marks that he wore with pride and traced back to his battles on the mat.
“These marks are all from wrestling. None of them came from childhood mischief,” said Sujeet.
But there was another side to the wrestler that emerged during the conversation: his love for food. Japan had given him a new favourite in sushi, and he had apparently made it his mission to get others to try it too. The results, however, were mixed.
“I enjoyed sushi the most in Japan. I ate it a lot and tried to make the rest eat. But they didn’t like it. I loved it,” said Sujeet.
There was still one home comfort he could not do without: churma. And when it comes from his mother’s kitchen, nothing else quite compares.
“My mother had brought some when she came to the airport. I haven’t had any after that,” said Sujeet.
From sushi in Japan to churma from home, Sujeet’s tastes reflect a wrestler who can embrace new experiences without losing touch with the things he loves most.
THE PROUD MILKMAN
Nitesh Siwach is an imposing presence. His height and build alone would make him a daunting opponent to face across the mat. But behind that formidable frame lies a story built on hard work, family and a willingness to keep going when wrestling seemed to have stalled.
During a difficult period in his career, Nitesh worked alongside his father, who sold milk. The job demanded discipline and effort seven days a week. Rather than turning away from wrestling, he used that experience to push himself harder, eventually becoming the first Indian since 1962 to reach the final of the men’s Greco-Roman wrestling competition at the Asian Games.
“Look, the milk business is not easy. There isn’t even one day of rest in a week. You have to work all seven days, and there is a lot of work. I loved wrestling because I had already given it two or three years earlier. So I thought, why not work hard at wrestling alongside everything else?”
“If I put the same amount of effort into wrestling that I was putting into the milk business, I could go very far. I used to motivate myself and watch bouts. Then I asked my family to give me six months. I told them that if I didn’t win a medal in those six months, I would be ready to do whatever they wanted me to do. But if I won a medal, they would let me continue my career,” said Nitesh.
At the felicitation ceremony, the Asian Games wrestling contingent was presented with special blazers. Their milky-white colour made for an especially fitting moment for Nitesh, whose journey had been shaped in part by the milk business.
Asked how it felt to be honoured, he broke into a smile that reflected both pride and gratitude.
“Everyone likes being honoured. It makes you feel proud that we have come here and received so much love and respect. I am feeling very proud,” said Nitesh.
The headlines often describe him as the milkman who made history at the Asian Games. For Nitesh, however, the label is not something to escape. It is a reminder of the sacrifices that helped him reach this point.
“I don’t feel bad about being called the milkman because I did this work with my parents for one and a half to two years, and my father is a milkman. He sold milk and gave me that money so I could train. I trained with the money earned from selling that milk, so how can I say that I feel bad about being called that?” said Nitesh.
For him, the milkman tag is not a limitation. It is part of the journey, and one he is proud to own.
WHAT SETS THIS GENERATION APART?
For a more serious conversation about Indian wrestling’s future, Aman Sehrawat seemed the right person to turn to. The 23-year-old has already experienced the highs and lows of elite sport. After winning an Olympic medal in Paris, he faced another setback when he was disqualified from the 2025 World Wrestling Championships over a weight issue.
Rather than allowing that episode to define him, Aman has turned his attention towards the next challenge: qualifying for the 2028 Olympics and improving on his previous performance.
“First, I have to qualify in 2027. That is where my focus is right now. I have to qualify through the first tournament. After that, there will still be enough time before the Olympics, and we will work on the shortcomings that were there at the previous Olympics so that they do not happen again. We want to do well for the country,” said Aman.
His response also points to a defining feature of this generation. Indian wrestling has had celebrated names since 2008, with stars such as Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt and Vinesh Phogat becoming the faces of the sport. But today’s crop faces a different kind of challenge: success is no longer just about reaching the top. It is about staying there amid a deeper pool of competition.
In Antim’s case, retaining her position in the 53kg category means dealing with competition from Meenakshi Goyat as well as the possibility of Vinesh Phogat returning to the fold. For the men, too, Asian Games gold is no guarantee of an Olympic place or medal.
That growing depth is something sports journalist Gaurav Kalra believes sets the current generation apart.
“I think that we are seeing more depth in this generation. We are seeing a lot of wrestlers come up in the weight categories, many, many more options than we saw back in that time.
“We had one dominant wrestler at that time in every weight category, but I think now we are seeing a lot of very intense competition. I think even Sujeet and Aman, who won gold medals. I don’t think they can also take their place for granted for the next Olympic Games. That’s how competitive it is,” said reputed journalist Gaurav Kalra.
For these wrestlers, that competition is not simply a hurdle. It is a reason to keep improving. The legends before them set the benchmark, and the new generation now wants to take the next step.
“They were the ones who paved the way for us. Earlier, people would not even think about winning an Olympic medal. They would think, ‘If only I could reach the Olympics.’ Now, everyone has the same thought: we have to win Olympic gold. They opened that path for us.
“And they used to practice a lot. We don’t even practise as much as that generation did. When we look at them, we think that if they could achieve so much when they did not have so many facilities, then why can’t we do it now, when we have all these facilities?” said Aman.
Nitesh believes that better facilities and greater international exposure have also helped the current generation grow faster. Foreign coaches, international training camps and opportunities to compete against elite opponents have all contributed to their development.
“Technology has improved a lot. Foreign coaches are coming to India and training us. Our federation is doing very well and giving us opportunities to attend international camps.”
“Because of that, we are learning very quickly and growing very quickly. Then there is the Pro Wrestling League, where international wrestlers and Olympic medallists are coming to compete. When we wrestle against them, our confidence increases, and we perform better in competitions,” said Nitesh.
Antim, too, highlighted the role of the Pro Wrestling League in giving wrestlers the confidence to compete at the highest level. She pointed to Sujeet’s rise as an example of how the league can help emerging talent.
This time, Aman is already there and he is good. Sujeet has also emerged as a top talent. He has come through PWL and is doing very well. As far as I can see, he will also bring an Olympic gold medal.”
“So the thing is that we also matter. We are getting so many facilities in India now, camps are being organised, and there is PWL. Sujeet has come through PWL. If PWL had not been there, perhaps he would not have been able to do as much as he has. His confidence has increased so much because of PWL,” said Antim.
The road to Los Angeles is still long, and none of these wrestlers can afford to stand still. There will be qualification battles, domestic rivalries and international tests before the Olympic stage arrives. But that is precisely what makes this generation so compelling: the medals have raised expectations, while the competition ensures there are no guarantees.
The Asian Games gave them a moment in the spotlight. Now, the Fab Four have their eyes on Los Angeles, where they will hope to turn that promise into medals on the biggest stage of all.
– Ends
