But record rainfall had caused floods in Dubai and badly disrupted air travel. Sujeet was stranded at the airport.

He could see water everywhere and could only pray that the situation would improve so he could travel to Bishkek, where the qualifiers were scheduled to take place. Sujeet could only watch the time, calculate the days and hours on his fingers, and then sit back.

His connecting flight was delayed and eventually remained stranded at the airport for three days. A flight was finally arranged, but by the time he reached Kyrgyzstan and then the venue, it was one and a half hours after the weigh-in had been completed.

The Wrestling Federation of India and officials tried their best to find a way to get Sujeet into the competition. But the United World Wrestling rules left them with no option.

“I felt very bad. I have no words.

It was four years of hard work, and it all ended in that one moment. I was in good form, and everything was over in a moment.

I cried alone too, but I had faith in God. I explained things to myself and returned to India,” Sujeet said.

Father's words gave him strengthSujeet returned to India devastated. At home, his father Dayan and was waiting for him.

Dayan and, a former Greco-Roman wrestler, knew what his son was going through. Sujeet immediately hugged his father.

He became emotional and had his father's shoulder to cry on. ‘I didn't give up' Starting again was not easy, but Sujeet was adamant.

He won gold at the United World Wrestling Ranking Series in Budapest in the men’s 65kg division at the start of 2025. He added two more gold medals to his tally in Zagreb and at the Tirana Grand Prix.

He then won a gold medal at the World U23 Championships in 2025 in Novi Sad, Serbia, followed by another gold at the Asian U23 Championships in Vung Tau, Vietnam. He didn't stop there.

Sujeet became Asian Champion after winning gold in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. With that gold medal finish, he also rose to the No.

1 ranking in the world. Now, he is set for his first Asian Games.

“I didn't give up. I have worked very hard.

I have to go a long way. If I had competed in Paris, I would have been 21.

I am 23 now. I will be 25 when the Los Angeles Olympics comes around.

Age makes a big difference. But I don't want to step back.

My mindset is still the same — to win a medal for the country,” he said.' Haanikarak baapu' For Sujeet, wrestling was never just a sport.

His father Dayan and, a former national wrestling champion who also represented India at the World Championships, introduced him to the sport at a very young age. Dayan and could not go to the Olympics to represent India.

“Papa is very strict," he says." Wo dangal mein haanikarak baapu they na, wo waise hi kuch hain (laughs).

He told me, ‘Son, you have to become a wrestler. A wrestler’s son should be a wrestler.’

I have learnt a lot from him since childhood. He is both my guru and my father.

“His dream is to see me at the Olympics and see me win a medal. I will definitely fulfil this dream of my father,” Sujeet signed off.

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