Nitesh Siwach has secured a historic silver medal for India in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Games, ending a long wait for a silver in the discipline.
The 23-year-old defeated Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 9-0 in the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg semifinal through technical superiority. He then lost to Japan’s Yuri Nakazato in the final, finishing with the silver medal.
The achievement has major historical significance for India. The country’s previous Greco-Roman silver medals came in the 1962 Jakarta Games, when Maruti Mane in the 97kg category and Sajjan Singh in the 87kg category finished second. That edition also saw India win its only Greco-Roman gold, through Ganpat Andalkar in the +97kg category.
India has won 65 wrestling medals at the Asian Games, but only 11 have come in Greco-Roman wrestling. Five of those have been bronze medals, including Sunil Kumar’s bronze in 2026.
Greco-Roman differs from freestyle mainly in its rules. Wrestlers can attack only above the waist, while freestyle allows attacks on the legs and the use of legs during holds.
