India, Oct. 2 -- India's Rajat Ruhal will start his Asian Games 2026 campaign against Kazakhstan's Yedige Kassimbek in the men's freestyle 125kg Round of 16 on Friday, October 2 at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre.

The heavyweight division has plenty of quality in the field, but Kassimbek arrives in Nagoya with strong credentials of his own. The 19-year-old Kazakh is ranked 12th by United World Wrestling in the 125kg category and has won nine of his 11 senior matches in UWW competitions this season. He has also collected three medals across four competitions in 2026.

Ruhal, meanwhile, is ranked 21st in the world by UWW and comes into the Asian Games with two wins and two losses in senior UWW competition. The 21-year-old Indian has one...