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Asian Games: Nitesh Siwach fumbles at final hurdle, takes Greco-Roman silver
The 97kg wrestler lost 0-4 to Japan's Yuri Nakazato, but was India’s first Greco Roman wrestler in the Asiad final in 64 years.
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Back in 2015, when Nitesh Siwach was at home at Jagsi village in Haryana’s Sonipat, he would hop on to his father's motorbike and set off before dawn daily to deliver milk.
It wouldn't be a significant nugget until you know that Nitesh, then barely 12 and hardly strong enough to control the vehicle—never mind being underage to ride— was still recovering from a knee surgery that would keep him out of sport for two years.
"We didn't have enough resources, so Nitesh decided to do his bit. Today, he is reaping the rewards for all the hard work he has done. He has had a tough life," Nitesh's father, Anand, said.
On Thursday, Nitesh became the first Indian since Ganpat Andalkar in 1962 Jakarta to reach an Asiad Greco Roman final. Nitesh though came up short against Japan’s 2025 Asian Championships silver medallist Yuri Nakazato, losing the 97kg final 4-0.
The stockier Japanese put forth a defensive masterclass, not letting Nitesh attempt a single move. Nakazato was off the blocks with a pushout and a passivity point and went into the break 2-0 ahead. In the second period, the Japanese effected a two-point throw before resorting to his superior defence to keep the lead.
Despite the loss, Nitesh's silver is a significant achievement considering it comes in the Greco Roman discipline where India has had limited international success.
Kabaddi to wrestling
Nitesh took up wrestling in 2012 after moving to the residential Pratap Sports School in Sonipat’s Kharkhoda village. "He was initially into kabaddi, but I wanted him to wrestle," Anand said. A wrestler in his youth, Anand competed in local dangals, but couldn't make it big.
"You can say it was my dream to wrestle for the country. My son has fulfilled it for me."
Anand co-owns a dairy in Panipat with his younger brother Naveen, and the duo exhausted all their savings and earnings to fuel Nitesh's career. "Raising a wrestler is not easy. We needed an average of ₹25,000-30,000 for his milk, supplements and other dietary needs. We happily killed all our hobbies and interests. No family outings, no eating out, no new clothes, but we were happy to see him grow and work hard," Anand recalled.
"Things have been better with him getting into the national camp in 2021. We don't have to worry about his nutrition anymore but till the time the male wrestlers camped in Sonipat (they now train in SAI Lucknow), I would deliver milk for him daily," he added.
Surgery and comeback
The injury to his left knee required surgery costing over ₹50,000. Hard-pressed for resources, Anand had to dig into his savings and borrow money to pay for his son's procedure.
"The dairy was still in its early years, and we were not even breaking even. After the surgery, Nitesh decided to help me by ferrying milk when he should have recuperated. We had little knowledge about sports injuries and recovery," he said.
To his credit, Nitesh bounced back from the injury quickly. In 2019, he won a silver medal at the Cadet Asian Championships. Three years later came a bronze medal at the U23 World Championships. In 2025, he secured another third-place result at the Senior Asian Championships and upgraded it to silver early this year.
"I was impressed with his height. He stood taller than most nine-year-olds when he came to me in 2012. As he grew older, his physical strength stood out. His arms in particular are very, very strong. Look at the way he threw the Mongolian wrestler in the semi-final," Om Prakash Dahiya, director of Pratap Sports School, said.
Thorough domination
Nitesh's run to the final showcased his relentless attacking style. Competing straight in the quarter-finals, he defeated Turkmenistan's Amanberdi Agamammedov 7-1 to set up a semi-final against Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar.
A bronze medallist at the 2023 Hangzhou Asiad in 97kg freestyle category, Ganbaatar was outclassed by the Indian in the semi-final. Nitesh sped to a 9-0 win by technical superiority in a bout that barely lasted two minutes. Nitesh gained early advantage with a push-out before producing consecutive four-point throws to jump to 9-0, enough for the referee to blow the whistle and award him a win by technical superiority.
Unlike in freestyle wrestling where a win by technical superiority is awarded at a 10-point advantage, in Greco Roman an eight-point lead is enough to establish technical superiority. Also, the Greco Roman style prohibits any holds or attacks below the waist while leg attacks form the bedrock of freestyle wrestling.
"It was a thoroughly dominating win. Nitesh didn't give his opponent a breather. He is a very sound wrestler who is unstoppable when his attacks work," India's Greco Roman coach Hargobind Singh told HT from Japan.
Building momentum
Nitesh has been in superb form this year, securing a silver medal at the Asian Championships in April in Bishkek before winning the Ulaanbaatar Ranking Series in June.
His loss in Bishkek came against Iran's Paris Olympics champion Mohammad Hadi Saravi, a bout that left him with a lot of learning.
"He was a different wrestler after that bout. He knew the gap between him and a truly world-class wrestler. The win in Ulaanbaatar also gave him a lot of confidence," Singh said. In August, Nitesh went to Uzbekistan with the men's wrestling team for a 21-day training camp, and the exposure further helped him bridge the gap.
"We saw how physically strong Uzbeks were. We trained with them in the gym and on the mat, and picked their brains. Discipline-wise, they are also much better than our wrestlers. Nitesh realised that and worked on himself," the coach added.
