New Delhi: One minute and 40 seconds remained, and Sujeet Kalkal was looking at the scoreboard. It read 2-9 in his opponent’s favour. The Asian Games gold in the men’s 65kg freestyle seemed to be slipping away. Then the Indian wrestler changed the complexion of the final in a breathtaking burst.Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev had matched Kalkal’s strength and blunted his attacks. But once Kalkal found his rhythm, the contest became a blur of takedowns. He kept coming, cutting the deficit, refusing to blink. With only 11 seconds left, he was 8-9 down. One move later, he had Kudiev on the mat, moved ahead 10-9 and held his nerve to secure a gold that had appeared impossible.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal Tally“I was confident to come back even after the score was 2-9,” Kalkal said of his incredible comeback. “I was confident I would pull it off.” He dedicated the medal to his countrymen, saying their prayers helped most.The final capped a campaign where the 23-year-old Haryana wrestler grew stronger each bout. He opened by beating Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai 13-3 by technical superiority, then dismantled Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi 10-0 in the quarterfinal, shutting down attacks and scoring with speed.The semifinal was the test before the final. Japan’s reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka led 2-0, but Kalkal fought back to level it 3-3. He advanced on criteria after producing the bigger scoring move, stunning the home favourite and booking a clash with Kudiev, whom he had beaten at the recent Asian Championships.The gold is the latest chapter in Kalkal’s rise in a weight division once dominated by Tokyo Games bronze medallist Bajrang Punia. A class 12 topper who scored above 90 percent and once dreamed of becoming an engineer, Kalkal committed fully to wrestling only at 18. His father, Dayanand, a former national wrestling champion, became his coach.Kalkal’s journey carried its own disappointments as well. He missed the Paris Olympic qualifying opportunity after severe flooding disrupted his journey through Dubai, and later fell short at the world qualifier. A knee injury forced him out of the Mongolian Open this year. The setbacks sharpened his comeback.“I do not fear anyone. Whoever comes in my way, I will wrestle hard,” he said. His title triumph ended India’s wrestling gold drought at the Asian Games since 2018 and adds another major title to his U23 world, Asian Championships and Zagreb Open triumphs.For India, the day, however, had a few wrestling disappointments. Dipanshi Phogat lost 0-10 to Japan’s Yui Susaki but returned through repechage before losing the bronze play-off to Kazakhstan’s Zeinip Bayanova in women’s 50kg pre-quarterfinals. Rajat Ruhal lost 3-8 to Kazakhstan’s Yedige Kassimbek in men’s 125kg competition, while Priya Malik went down 1-6 to Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy in women’s 76kg.