Tirana: U23 world champion Sujeet Kalkal clinched the gold medal in the men’s 65kg freestyle category at the Muhamet Malo 2026 wrestling tournament. He topped the podium with four straight wins on technical superiority.
The 23-year-old Indian dominated Azerbaijan’s Rashid Babazade 10-0 in the final. He had a convincing 11-0 win over USA’s two-time Pan American champion Joseph McKenna in the semifinal after beating Nika Zakashvili of Georgia 10-0 in the quarter-finals and starting his campaign with a 16-4 victory over Endrio Avdyli of Albania.
This is his second straight gold medal in the 2026 UWW Ranking Series, following his Zagreb Open victory in Croatia earlier this month.
Sujeet warmed up with a 16-4 victory over Endrio Avdyli, who tossed the Indian for a four at the start of the bout. Nika Zakashvili (Georgia)) fell next, 10-0, before Sujeet defeated Joseph McKenna (USA), 11-0, the same scoreline as the one in the semifinals of the Zagreb Open. IANS
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