Nitesh Siwach’s Asian Games silver: The milkman’s son who never gave up wrestling

At 15, Nitesh Siwach was far removed from the Asian Games spotlight. A knee operation had forced him away from wrestling, and instead of spending his days on the mat, he was helping his father sell milk in Panipat, Haryana.

For two years, from 2017 to 2019, Nitesh woke up at 5am and returned home at 5pm. His village, Jagsi, is around 40km from Panipat, and the teenager had little time for anything beyond the demanding routine. Yet wrestling remained unfinished business.

Five years after returning to the sport, the 23-year-old became an Asian Games silver medallist in the men’s 97kg Greco-Roman category.

Nitesh lost 0-4 to Japan’s Yuri Nakazato in the final on Thursday. The gold escaped him, but the silver marked India’s first Greco-Roman silver at the Asian Games since 1962.

THE MILK ROUTE

Nitesh’s life as a milk seller began after his knee operation. With him alone at home, his father asked him to come along to Panipat and help with the family business.

“My father is a milkman. When I was 15, I had a knee operation. I started working as a milkman with my father. I used to sell milk every day,” Nitesh said.

The routine was demanding. He left home at 5am, travelled to Panipat and returned at 5pm. There was no regular day off, and he continued the work for two years.

“My village is 40 km from Panipat. I used to wake up at 5 a.m. and come back home at 5 p.m. I sold milk for two years. I didn’t have a day off,” he said.

Eventually, Nitesh asked his family for six months to restart wrestling.

“I thought of requesting my family. I asked for six months, and then I started wrestling again,” he said.

That decision changed the direction of his career.

BACK TO WRESTLING

Nitesh resumed training at Pratap School in Kharkhoda, where teachers Om Prakash Dahiya and Sandeep encouraged him to pursue wrestling seriously.

“My teachers Om Prakash Dahiya and Sandeep gave me a lot of attention. They motivated me to become a world champion one day,” he said.

His progress since then has been steady. Nitesh won bronze at the 2022 U23 World Championships and another bronze at the 2025 Asian Championships before reaching the Asian Games final.

His move to Greco-Roman wrestling also followed his knee injury.

“After the knee operation, I started playing in Greco-Roman. After the injury, I never thought of going to ‘Dangal’. I started playing Greco-Roman on the mat,” he said.

A SHOT AT HISTORY

Nitesh entered the Asian Games at the quarterfinal stage and defeated Turkmenistan’s Amanberdi Agamammedov 7-1.

He was even more dominant in the semifinal, beating Mongolia’s Gankhuyang Ganbaatar 9-0 by technical superiority in the first three-minute period.

That victory put Nitesh within one bout of history. India had last won Greco-Roman gold at the Asian Games in 1962, when Malwa Singh won the 52kg title and Ganpat Andalkar took the +97kg gold.

Nitesh could not add his name to that list, but his silver ended a 64-year wait for an Indian Greco-Roman silver at the Games.

THE FINAL

Against Nakazato, Nitesh struggled to create the openings needed to challenge for gold.

He attempted a two-on-one grip early, but Nakazato pushed him out to open the scoring before Nitesh was placed in ground position for passivity. The Indian defended against a gut wrench, but trailed 2-0 after the first period.

Nakazato extended the advantage to 4-0 in the second period after disbalancing Nitesh with a push and converting it into a takedown.

Nitesh attacked in the final minute, but the Japanese wrestler defended well to protect his lead.

“I am very happy that I made it to the final. I could have done better, but I am still lacking. I will now focus on the World Championships and 2028 Olympic qualifiers next year,” Nitesh said.

WHAT COMES NEXT

The silver has strengthened Nitesh’s ambition rather than ended it. He still wants to become a world champion and also hopes Greco-Roman wrestling gets a platform in India’s Pro Wrestling League.

“I will request the Pro Wrestling League organisers to include Greco-Roman,” he said.

Away from competition, Nitesh remains attached to the food he grew up with, including homemade paneer, butter, churma and milk.

There is an obvious connection between milk and his story. As a teenager, selling it with his father became his daily routine after wrestling was interrupted. Years later, it is still part of his diet as an elite wrestler.

The Asian Games silver is the biggest medal of Nitesh’s career, but he sees it as another step. The knee operation, two years selling milk and the long return to wrestling have already shaped his journey.

Now, with the World Championships and 2028 Olympic qualifiers ahead, Nitesh has another target to chase.

– Ends