Nitesh Siwach Secures Historic Greco-Roman Silver at Asian Games 2026

Indian wrestler Nitesh Siwach clinched a silver medal at the Asian Games 2026, marking a significant achievement as only the second Indian to reach a Greco-Roman wrestling final at the continental showpiece. Competing in the men's 97 kg category, Siwach narrowly missed the gold, losing to Japan's Yuri Nakazato in the final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre on Thursday.

His silver medal ended India's 64-year wait for a Greco-Roman wrestling finalist at the Asian Games, a feat last achieved by Maruti Mane at the 1962 Asian Games, who also won silver in the same weight category. Siwach dedicated his medal to his father, stating, “My father always told me there was no looking back once I started this journey, that I had to bring home a medal, and today, I did it for him.”

Siwach demonstrated strong performances in the knockout stages, defeating Turkmenistan's Amanberdi Agamammedov 7-1 in the quarterfinals and overpowering Mongolia's Ganbaataryn Gankhuyag 9-0 in the semifinal. Despite the pressure of being in a weight category with no prior Indian medalists, he trusted his training.

In the final, Nakazato secured a 2-0 lead after Siwach was penalized for passivity, extending it to 4-0 in the second period. Siwach, who arrived in Nagoya as a 2026 Asian Championships silver medallist, also expressed gratitude to the Inspire Institute of Sport for their comprehensive support. He added, "Maine apne desh ka Tiranga lehra diya."

What to watch: The continued development of Indian Greco-Roman wrestling talent.

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This article is AI-generated and fact-gated. Original reporting: NDTV Sports