Celebrations broke out in Imlota village of Charkhi Dadri district after local wrestler Sujeet Kalkal won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Asian Games. His family and villagers watched the final bout live on television.As soon as Sujeet secured the victory, the village erupted in celebrations, with drums being played and firecrackers being burst. Sujeet showed great grit in the final when he made a dramatic comeback from 2-9 points down to register a 10-9 victory, winning eight points in a row without conceding any point. Earlier, he had also crossed another hurdle by defeating reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka of Japan in his home country.Sujeet’s father, Dayanand Kalkal, a wrestling coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Sonepat, said he was proud of his son’s achievement. “Sujeet has displayed wonderful work on the mat. He has won not only our hearts but the hearts of the entire country. Going to the country of an Olympic champion and defeating him is a very big achievement,” he said.Describing the victory as a “semi-final for the next Olympics”, Dayanand said the family’s main target was now to see Sujeet win an Olympic gold for the country. “When he left home, he had promised that he would return only after winning gold. He has kept his promise,” he said.He said Sujeet had not lost a bout since 2025 and was now preparing for the World Championships and other international competitions. Dayanand said Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, along with ministers and MLAs, would be invited to a grand felicitation programme to be organised in the village.Preparations for Sujeet’s homecoming and a grand reception are already under way, while people have been visiting his house to congratulate the family.Sujeet’s mother, Manjeet Devi, said he had told her that he would return only with gold. “I had fed him churma before he left, and when he returns, I will welcome him with churma again,” she said.Dadri MLA Jattvibeil Sangwan also called Dayanand Kalkal to congratulate the family. He said Sujeet had brought laurels not only to Charkhi Dadri but also to Haryana and the country at the international level.