Asian Games: Sunil Kumar storms to bronze, makes history in Greco-Roman wrestling

Nagoya: Sunil Kumar produced a dominant display to secure bronze in the men’s 87kg Greco-Roman wrestling event at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, overpowering the Philippines’ Callum Johnston Roberts 9-0 by technical superiority.

The victory not only earned Sunil a second consecutive Asian Games bronze but also etched his name in the record books. The 27-year-old became the first Indian wrestler to win two Greco-Roman wrestling medals at the Asian Games.

Returning to the podium after taking bronze in the same category at Hangzhou 2022, Sunil needed barely one round to settle the contest at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.

He immediately took control, throwing Roberts over twice in the opening exchanges to collect four points. A further point for passivity soon followed, leaving the Indian with a 5-0 advantage barely 90 seconds into the bout.

Sunil showed no signs of easing off. He capitalised on another passivity sequence to take his opponent down and stretch the lead to 7-0, leaving Roberts struggling to find an answer to the Indian’s relentless attacks.

The end came shortly afterwards. Sunil executed another scoring move to add two more points and reach the nine-point winning margin required for technical superiority, bringing the contest to an emphatic conclusion.

The bronze adds another chapter to a career that already includes six Asian Championships medals and now makes Sunil the first Indian to claim multiple Greco-Roman medals at the continental Games.

His latest podium finish also continues India’s presence in the Greco-Roman wrestling medal standings, with Sunil becoming the latest Indian athlete to deliver on the Asian Games stage after a commanding performance in the bronze-medal bout.

IANS