Nagoya, October 1 (Daily Kiran) : Nitesh Sivach has made history at the Asian Games 2026 by securing a place in the finals of the Greco-Roman wrestling 97 kg category. Competing at the Inae Sports Center in Nagoya, he dominated the semifinal match against Mongolia’s Ganbataryn Gankhuyag, winning decisively with a score of 9-0 based on technical superiority.
This achievement marks the first time since 1962 that an Indian has reached the finals in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Games, ending a 64-year drought for the country. Nitesh will now face Japan’s Yuri Nakajato in the gold medal match. If he triumphs, he will become the first Indian to win a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling since Ganpat Andalkar at the 1962 Asian Games.
In another event, Mansi will compete for a bronze medal after losing her semifinal match to Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki with a score of 0-6. She is set to face Mongolia’s Altjin Togtokh for the bronze.
Nitesh’s impressive performance in the semifinals followed a strong quarterfinal victory over Turkmenistan’s Amanberdi Agamamedov, where he won 7-1. His opponent in the semifinals, Gankhuyag, was a bronze medalist at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, but Nitesh did not allow him to score any points.
Mansi began her medal quest with a 6-1 victory over Irina Kuznetsova in the pre-quarterfinals. She then defeated South Korea’s Jo Su-bin 5-0 to reach the semifinals, where she faced the Olympic bronze medalist and Hangzhou champion, Nonoka Ozaki.
In other matches, Sumit faced a tough loss in the Greco-Roman 60 kg quarterfinals against Iran’s Sajjad Abbaspouragani. The match was closely contested, ending in a 1-1 tie before Sumit lost on the basis of VPO1. Aman also suffered a defeat in the men’s Greco-Roman 77 kg quarterfinals to Qatar’s Shahin Badagimofrad, losing 0-9 despite a previous win over Mongolia’s Borgil Tuvshinbatar.
With this victory, India has already secured a medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, thanks to Sunil Kumar, who won a bronze in the men’s 87 kg event earlier in the competition.
Leave a Comment