Gonda, Oct 5 (IANS) Former BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Monday said the performance of Indian wrestlers at the 2026 Asian Games did not meet his expectations. He said he had expected India to win at least eight medals and particularly expressed disappointment over the performance of the women wrestlers.
Speaking to IANS, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said, “What we had anticipated from wrestling did not happen. The girls’ performance was not as good. I believed we would win a total of eight medals, including three gold, three silver and one bronze, but we won only six. Despite this, this is the first time since 1966 that we have achieved such a remarkable result. We can say that our medal tally is the same as at the 2023 Asian Games, but this time the number of gold medals was higher.”
He further said that there was a need to focus on wrestling, particularly after what he described as a turbulent period over the past two to three years.
“There is a need to work on wrestling right now, as the last two to three years have been turbulent, preventing many good athletes from repeating their performances. Currently, there is coordination between the government, sports associations and athletes. We will strive to achieve the same six medals at the Olympics that we won at the Asian Games,” he said.
On his political future, Brij Bhushan clarified that he would not contest the 2027 Assembly elections. Regarding the next parliamentary elections, he said a decision would be taken when the time came and that no statement could be made about contesting the parliamentary polls at present.
Indian male and female wrestlers together won six medals at the 2026 Asian Games. Aman Sehrawat won gold in the men’s 57 kg freestyle category, while Sujeet Kalkal secured gold in the men’s 65 kg freestyle category.
Nitesh Siwach won silver in the men’s 97 kg Greco-Roman category. In the women’s events, Ananthi Panghal won silver in the 53 kg freestyle category.
Deepak Punia and Sunil Kumar won bronze medals in their respective categories, with Punia claiming bronze in freestyle and Kumar securing third place in the men’s 87 kg Greco-Roman category.
Singh said that despite areas requiring improvement, the medal tally and the increase in the number of gold medals represented an important outcome for Indian wrestling at the continental event.
–IANS
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