Nagoya: Indian wrestler Nitesh Siwach scripted history at the Asian Games 2026 by winning a silver medal in the men’s 97kg Greco-Roman wrestling category, becoming only the second Indian to reach an Asian Games Greco-Roman wrestling final.
Nitesh lost to Japan’s Yuri Nakazato in the gold-medal bout at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre on Thursday. His silver ended India’s 64-year wait for a Greco-Roman wrestling finalist at the Asian Games.
‘I Did It for My Father’
After securing the historic silver, Nitesh dedicated the achievement to his father, recalling the encouragement he received throughout his wrestling journey.
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it; I have won a silver medal at the Asian Games. 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,” Nitesh said.
Dominant Run to the Final
Nitesh produced two impressive victories in the knockout stages. He defeated Turkmenistan’s Amanberdi Agamammedov 7-1 in the quarterfinal before beating Mongolia’s Ganbaataryn Gankhuyag 9-0 in the semifinal.
His run made him the first Indian since Maruti Mane at the 1962 Asian Games to reach the Greco-Roman wrestling gold-medal bout. Mane had also won silver in the same weight category.
‘I Trusted My Training’
Nitesh said the pressure of breaking new ground in his weight category only strengthened his determination.
“No one from my weight category had ever won a medal here before, so there was a lot of pressure, but I trusted my training and gave everything I had,” he said.
The final was more challenging, with Nakazato taking a 2-0 lead after Nitesh was penalised for passivity. The Japanese wrestler extended his advantage to 4-0 in the second period and held on to claim gold.
Nitesh, who entered the Games as a 2026 Asian Championships silver medallist, credited the Inspire Institute of Sport for supporting his preparation with travel, nutrition and physiotherapy.
“Maine apne desh ka Tiranga lehra diya,” Nitesh said after his historic achievement.