Tirana, Albania erupted in cheers as young Indian sensation Sujeet KalKal stormed to gold in the prestigious Muhammad Malo 2026 Wrestling Tournament’s 65kg freestyle event. The 23-year-old phenom, fresh off his under-23 world title, crushed Azerbaijan’s Rashid Babazade 10-0 in the gold medal bout, capping a flawless run through the United World Wrestling Ranking Series.
From the opening round, Sujeet was unstoppable. He overcame an early setback against local hero Andrio Avdali, rallying from 0-4 to secure a 16-4 victory. Quarterfinal opponent Nika Zakashvili from Georgia fell 10-0, unable to breach Sujeet’s defense. In a highlight-reel semifinal, he shut out American star Joseph McKenna 11-0, echoing his recent Zagreb Open masterclass.
This latest gold is Sujeet’s second in a row in the Ranking Series after triumphing in Croatia’s Zagreb Open. It adds to his collection, now boasting four Ranking Series golds including 2022 Zheyr Shagyr and dual 2025 memorials.
The final proved one-sided as Babazade, fresh from a thrilling 16-13 semifinal win over Vitali Arujau, faltered completely. India’s Mohit Kumar exited early in qualifiers. In 57kg, Ankush and Atish Todkar lost repechage bronzes. The rest of the Indian contingent—Sumit, Rahul, Siddharth, Parvinder, and Aryan—missed medal contention. A strong 48-wrestler Indian team represented all styles.