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Nitesh Siwach won silver in the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg event at the 2026 Asian Games, losing the final 0–4 to Japan’s Yuri Nakazato. The defining difference between Greco-Roman and freestyle is leg use: Greco-Roman wrestlers cannot actively use their legs to complete an action or defend, while freestyle wrestlers can attack with their legs.
Why Siwach’s silver is historic
Siwach reached the final by beating Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 9–0 in the semifinal, a technical-superiority victory, before Nakazato defeated him 0–4 for gold, according to News On AIR.
Hindustan Times described the silver as India’s first Asian Games Greco-Roman silver since the 1962 Games. It reported that Maruti Mane and Sajjan Singh won silver in Jakarta in 1962, while Ganpat Andalkar was India’s only gold medallist in that category. The same report counted 65 Indian Asian Games wrestling medals through 2026: 11 in Greco-Roman and 54 in freestyle. These historical totals are the newspaper’s tally.
How Greco-Roman differs from freestyle
The central rule is about the legs. In Greco-Roman, wrestlers may use their upper bodies and arms, but cannot actively use their legs to complete an action or defend. Freestyle allows wrestlers to use any part of the body, including the legs for attacks. As the international governing body, United World Wrestling (UWW), puts it, Greco-Roman wrestlers “cannot actively use their legs to complete an action or to defend.” See UWW’s The Sport overview.
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| Rule or format | Greco-Roman | Freestyle |
|---|---|---|
| Leg use | Active leg use to complete an action or defend is prohibited. | Leg attacks are allowed. |
| Technical-superiority margin | 8-point difference. | 10-point difference. |
| Bout format | Two 3-minute periods with a 30-second break, according to UWW’s general explainer. | Two 3-minute periods with a 30-second break, according to UWW’s general explainer. |
The leg restriction changes both attack and defense: a Greco-Roman wrestler must work through upper-body control and throws rather than using a leg attack, and cannot use the legs to stop an opponent’s action. It does not mean that legs play no role in movement or balance; the rule concerns using them actively to execute or defend an action.
Scoring and the 9–0 semifinal
UWW’s overview gives examples of scoring actions: one point for moving an opponent out of the 9-metre circle, two for a takedown or exposing an opponent’s back, four for a standing throw, and five for a throw with grand amplitude. These are examples, not a complete account of current competition rules.
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Technical superiority ends a bout when the wrestler’s lead reaches the style’s specified margin. UWW lists an 8-point margin in Greco-Roman and a 10-point margin in freestyle. Siwach’s 9–0 semifinal result was reported as a technical-superiority win by Hindustan Times; the margin is consistent with the Greco-Roman threshold.
What the styles have in common
Both styles use the same general bout format described in UWW’s overview: two three-minute periods separated by a 30-second break. For detailed officiating procedures, UWW’s overview is not a substitute for its current International Wrestling Rules.
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