Nitesh Siwach’s Six-Month Gamble That Took Him to His Asian Games Debut

There was a time when Nitesh was not sure whether wrestling had a place in his future at all. Today, the 23-year-old is preparing for his first Asian Games, carrying with him not just the expectations of a country but also a promise made to his father.

The journey from one point to the other has been anything but straightforward.

When the Asian Games trials were held, Nitesh’s father travelled to watch his son compete. After the bout, he offered a simple message that has remained with Nitesh ever since.

“My father told me, Now there is no looking back; you have to bring a medal at the Asian Games, and after that, at the Olympics and the World Championships too. Then he said, 'This is a very good beginning’,” Nitesh recalls.

For the young wrestler, those words represented more than encouragement. They connected his Asian Games opportunity to a dream that had been taking shape for more than a decade.

From kabaddi to wrestling

Nitesh’s introduction to wrestling was almost accidental.

In 2012, he went to Pratap School intending to play kabaddi, a sport he enjoyed. But the school also had a wrestling programme, and his father saw an opportunity to introduce his son to the sport he had always wanted him to pursue.

“My father always had this dream that I should become a wrestler,” Nitesh says. He began training and spent two years developing as a wrestler before a knee operation interrupted his progress. What followed was a break of almost two years. Wrestling disappeared from his daily routine, and Nitesh instead began helping his father, who worked as a milkman.

The wrestling mat was replaced by the demands of everyday work. But the time away also gave Nitesh an opportunity to reassess what he wanted. Eventually, he approached his family with a simple proposal: give him six months to try wrestling again.

His parents agreed. That decision changed the course of his life. Within those six months, Nitesh won a medal at the School Nationals. The achievement may have appeared modest compared to what followed, but for him it was confirmation that the second chance was worth taking.

The comeback gradually developed into a serious senior-level career. Nitesh won bronze at the Asian Championships in 2025 before improving that result to silver in 2026. The progression gave him confidence that he could compete consistently at the highest level in Asia.

Now, that progression has taken him to the Asian Games. As part of his preparations, Nitesh spent three weeks at a training camp in Uzbekistan. The experience provided exposure to high-level opposition and allowed him to work specifically on an aspect of his wrestling he wanted to strengthen: his ground game.

“The camp in Uzbekistan was great exposure for us. It has given us a lot of confidence that we can perform well at the Asian Games. I specifically worked on my ground wrestling during this camp, and I feel I have become stronger in that area now,” he says.

For Nitesh, preparation has also been about managing the mental demands that accompany a major debut. He knows there is an additional challenge attached to his campaign. No wrestler from his weight category has previously won a medal at the Asian Games. That statistic creates expectation, but Nitesh is conscious that excessive pressure could become counterproductive.

“I have waited four years for this, and if I take too much pressure, my performance will drop,” he admits.

Rather than allowing pressure to consume him, Nitesh has developed his own way of analysing his performances. When things do not go according to plan, he watches recordings of his training and bouts, looking closely for technical mistakes and weaknesses. He then discusses those areas with his coaches and parents.

It is a process built around constant correction rather than dwelling on setbacks. His coaches and family also remind him that an athlete’s form naturally fluctuates. A poor period does not necessarily signal a permanent decline. That perspective has helped Nitesh navigate the uncertainty that comes with elite sport.

He has also had consistent backing from the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), which he credits with supporting his training and competition journey. Travel, nutrition and physiotherapy have all been part of that support system. “I am really, really thankful to IIS. Whatever I have needed, they have made sure it is taken care of,” he says.

A promise to his family

Now comes the moment Nitesh has spent years working towards. His Asian Games debut is an opportunity to turn his father’s belief into a result. But more than anything, it represents how far he has travelled since the days when wrestling was merely an alternative to kabaddi.

From a knee operation and two years away from the sport to a six-month request that restarted his career, Nitesh’s journey has been shaped by persistence and second chances. His ambition is clear.

“Please pray for me; I will bring a gold medal home for them. Mein apne desh ka Tiranga lehraunga, aur Rashtragaan bajaunga,” he says.

The six-month opportunity his family gave him more than a decade ago has now led him to the Asian Games. In Nagoya, Nitesh will get his chance to take the next step — with his family’s dream, his own ambition and the Indian flag firmly in his sights.