From delivering milk to the Asian Games: The unstoppable rise of Nitesh Siwach

There was a time when Nitesh Siwach was not sure whether he would ever wrestle again.

Now, the 23 year old from Jagsi village in Haryana’s Panipat district is preparing to represent India at his first Asian Games.

And the journey to get there has been anything but easy.

Speaking in an interview published by ANI ahead of the Asian Games, Nitesh recalled how close he had come to leaving wrestling behind altogether.

Nitesh started wrestling in 2012, although it was not actually the sport he initially wanted to pursue. He had gone to Pratap School to play kabaddi, but his father had always dreamed of seeing his son become a wrestler.

So Nitesh decided to give wrestling a try.

Then came a major setback.

After around two years of training, a knee operation forced him away from wrestling for nearly two years. His father worked as a milkman and, with his sporting future uncertain, Nitesh began helping him with the daily milk delivery rounds.

Just give me six months

At some point, Nitesh began wondering what would happen if he put those hours back into wrestling.

So he went to his family with a simple request: give him six months to try again.

They agreed.

Within those six months, Nitesh won a medal at the School Nationals. That was enough to convince him that his wrestling dream was not over.

And the decision has certainly paid off.

Nitesh won bronze at the 2025 Asian Championships before going one better with silver in 2026. Now he is preparing for the biggest competition of his career so far, his first Asian Games.

His father travelled to watch him compete at the Asian Games trials and afterwards gave him another target.

“Now there is no looking back, you have to bring a medal at the Asian Games.”

Speaking in the same interview, Nitesh said those words have stayed with him ever since. His father also wants him to target medals at the Olympics and World Championships.

From delivering milk alongside his father to representing India, Nitesh has already come a long way.

Now he wants to complete the journey in Japan by winning a medal for his country