Asian Championship Preview

Monday, February 17, 2020 - 14:36 By Ken Marantz

NEW DELHI, India (February 17) --- World champions Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), Risako KAWAI (JPN) and Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) head the list of entries for the upcoming Asian Championships, which unfortunately found it was not immune from the effects of the novel coronovirus that has struck mainly China.

China joined the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Turkmenistan as nations that will be unable to participate in the tournament, to be held Feb. 18-23 in New Delhi, due to circumstances stemming from the outbreak. There have been no reports of any wrestlers from any of the countries contracting the illness.

"The wrestlers are disappointed for sure, but I think they are fine now," a Chinese federation spokesperson said by email. "They will prepare for the future event."

The loss of Chinese entries is a big blow to the tournament, particularly in the women's competition. World silver medalist RONG Ningning was among four reigning or past Asian women's champions who had prepared to enter the tournament that also provides valuable UWW ranking points towards earning a seed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics can be gained.

For that reason, Japan is sending all six wrestlers who had secured berths at Tokyo 2020 by winning medals or finishing fifth at the 2019 World Championships last September in Nur-Sultan. Among the major showdowns that will have to put on hold for now is a rematch of Kawai's victory over Rong in the world 57kg final.

While team withdrawals, combined with the decision of some wrestlers to focus on the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament to be held next month, has thinned the field somewhat, there will still be a generous amount of talent on display -- there will be 16 medalists overall from Nur-Sultan in action at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

A win for Risako KAWAI (JPN) at 57kg would move her ahead of Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) for the world's No. 1 ranking. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Kawai, who has not lost to a non-Japanese opponent since falling to PUREVDORJ Okhon (MGL) at the 2018 Asian Games, will be aiming for her third Asian gold and first since 2017. A victory will also propel her over recently crowned African champion Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) to the top of the UWW rankings as she bids to repeat her Rio 2016 Olympic triumph in Tokyo this summer.

Younger sister Yukako KAWAI (JPN) will be tasked with trying to stop the red-hot Tynybekova, who became Krgyzystan's first-ever world champion last year with a victory at 62kg. In a rematch of the 2019 Asian final won by Tynybekova, she defeated Yukako by fall in a close second-round encounter en route to the world gold. Kawai, a 2018 silver medalist, came back through the repechage to bring home a bronze medal.

Tynybekova got this year off to a good start with back-to-back victories at the Matteo Pellicone ranking series event and the Yasar Dogu tournament. In New Delhi, the defending champion will be gunning for a fourth Asian title and seventh career medal overall.

Fumita regained the world Greco 60kg title in Nur-Sultan that he had captured in 2017, when he also last sat on the Asian throne. He had to settle for bronze last year in Xi'an, China, which he attributed to struggles making weight.

"I started thinking about getting down to weight at an early stage [this time], so I think it will be alright," Fumita told the Japan federation website. "This will be the last tournament with no weight allowance before the Olympics. Along with the weight [process], I want to give myself a solid test at the top level in Asia."

Fumita will have to contend with defending champion Islomjon BAHRAMOV (UZB), the silver medalist at the Matteo Pellicone, as well as world U-23 silver medalist Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), world bronze medalist Ali Reza NEJATI (IRI) and 2019 Asian bronze medalist Gyaender GYANENDER (IND).

"If I wrestle to my ability, I'm confident I can beat anyone in the world," Fumita said.

Returning world bronze medalist Ali Reza NEJATI (IRI) leads a young Iranian team into the Asian Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Iran's solid but decidedly second-string contingent might have fans scrambling for the UWW database, as Nejati is the lone Iranian out of its seven world medalists who will be making the trip to New Delhi, and none of its eight reigning Asian champions (four each in freestyle and Greco) will be there.

The Middle East powerhouse will be sending two world U-23 champions in Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) at freestyle 97kg and Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) at Greco 63kg. Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI), who turned heads with his stunning run to the gold at the Matteo Pellicone that included a victory by fall over Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA), is not entered.

For the home team, all eyes will be on freestyle 65kg superstar Bajrang PUNIA (IND), and the local media is touting a possible rematch of his controversial semifinal loss in Nur-Sultan to Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ). Niyazbekov held a 9-2 lead in an often ill-tempered match before holding on for a 9-9 win by criteria. Niyazbekov took the silver medal and Punia finished with a bronze.

A meeting between the two would also be a clash between the defending (Punia) and preceding (Niyazbekov) champions. And not to be overlooked is Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), whose wild victory over Punia in the 2018 world final was named the UWW's match of the year. Otoguro, who missed last year's Asian Championships due to a knee injury before finishing fifth in Nur-Sultan, will be looking to improve his world ranking from the current seventh.

Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB), a Rio Olympic bronze medalist, is bumping up to 63kg from his world fifth place weight of 60kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman, February 18-19
Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB), after finishing fifth at the World Championships in the Olympic weight of 60kg, has returned to 63kg. The Rio 2016 bronze medalist, who will try for a fifth Asian gold and seventh medal overall in eight appearances, will be looking to erase the memory of the literal pain of his runner-up finish last year in Xi'an. He had to default early in the final against TUO Erbatu (CHN) because of a severe back injury.

With neither Tuo, world champion Shinobu OTA (JPN) nor bronze medalist Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) entered, Tasmuradov's main competition looks to come from Iran's Dalkani and Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), who were both fifth in Nur-Sultan. Ota unsuccessfully tried to move up to the Olympic weight of 67kg at the Japan Championships and was not named to Japan's team.

Former world champion RYU Hansu (KOR) will attempt to defend his title at 67kg as he goes for a third career Asian gold, with Matteo Pellicone winner Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) and 2018 Asian silver medalist Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN) looking to stop him.

At 77kg, both world silver medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) and Asian silver medalist Gurpreet SINGH (IND) have moved up to 82kg, leaving their former weight class as a battle among the young trio of world U-23 silver medalist Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) and bronze medalist Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) and world junior bronze medalist Sajan SAJAN (IND). World military champion Pejman POSTAM (IRI) can't be counted out.

Veteran Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), coming off a third-place finish in Nur-Sultan, will look to add to his hefty Asian collection when the 2019 bronze medalist takes the mat at 87kg. Shooting for his fourth gold and first since 2018, Assakalov will have to contend with Kumar SUNIL (IND) and Azamat KUSTUBAEV (KAZ), silver and bronze medalists, respectively, last year in Xi'an.

Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) heads into the Asian Championships as the favorite to win the 53kg gold medal. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling, February 20-21
Former world champion Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) was deprived of a chance to avenge consecutive losses in last year's Asian and world finals to PAK Yong Mi (PRK) at 53kg, but heads to New Delhi as the solid favorite to add to the Asian gold that she won in the Indian capital in 2017.

Vinesh PHOGAT (IND), a bronze medalist at both the worlds and Asia last year, will look to ride the home mat advantage and capture her first continental gold since 2015 and seventh medal overall. She won the gold at the Matteo Pellicone, putting her one point ahead of Mukaida in second in the world rankings.

In the lightest weight class, Valentina ISLAMOVA-BRIK (KAZ) appears poised to pick up her first major title after winning bronzes at both last year's Asian and World Championships at 50kg. Japan, which has no shortage of talent in the division, will send out Miho IGARASHI (JPN), a two-time world U-23 champion.

At the other end of the scale, world silver medalist Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) will shoot for her first Asian title since 2015 and third overall at 76kg. She finished second each of the past two years, losing both times to Chinese opponents. Without that wall to get over, she can expect her main challenge to come from world U-23 bronze medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) and Rio 2016 bronze medalist Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), who was fifth at Nur-Sultan.

Deepak PUNIA (IND), a 2019 world runner-up, is looking to improve on his bronze-medal finish from last year's Asian Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Freestyle, February 22-23
In addition to Punia at 65kg, the host country can be considered to have high-percentage shots at gold in three other weight classes through world silver medalist Deepak PUNIA (IND) at 86kg, and bronze medalists Kumar RAVI (IND) at 57kg and Rahul AWARE (IND) at 61kg.

The 20-year-old Deepak Punia has become one of India's rising stars, following up his world junior championship in 2019 by making it to the final at the senior worlds, where he had to default the gold-medal match to Iranian superstar Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) due to a leg injury.

Punia finished third at last year's Asian Championships, where Aligadzhi GAMIGADZHIEV (KGZ), one of his main rivals in New Delhi, won the silver medal. Also expected to be in the mix is Ahmad BAZRIGHALEH (IRI), who was third at the 2017 world juniors where Punia finished fifth.

Ravi could clash with former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who not only failed to clinch a Tokyo 2020 place at 57kg in Nur-Sultan, but then also lost out to Rio 2016 silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) at the national championships to go to the Asian Olympic qualifier. Takahashi, the Asian gold medalist in 2017 who finished third last year, will be out to prove as much to himself as anyone his best days are not behind him.

Ravi's fellow world bronze medalist, Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ), is also entered at 57kg. The two faced each other at the Matteo Pellicone at 61kg in a four-man round-robin, with the Indian winning 6-0 and taking the gold. Sanayev, the 2018 Asian champion at 61kg, took the silver.

Daichi TAKATANI (JPN), who lost in the Asian 65kg final to Niyazbekov in 2018, will make his international debut at 74kg, having moved up two weight classes in an unsuccessful bid to get into a playoff for Japan's berth in that division at the Tokyo Olympics.

Schedule

Monday, February 17
17:00-18:00 - Draw GR, all weight categories

Tuesday, February 18
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: GR 55, 63, 77, 87 & 130kg
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: GR 55, 63, 77, 87 & 130kg
17:30-18:00 - Opening Ceremony
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: GR 55, 63, 77, 87 & 130kg

Wednesday, February 19
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: GR 60, 67, 72, 82 & 97kg
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: GR 60, 67, 72, 82 & 97kg
14:30-15:30 - Draw WW, all weight categories
18:00-21:30 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: GR 60, 67, 72, 82 & 97kg

Thursday, February 20
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: WW 50, 55, 59, 68 & 76kg
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: WW 50, 55, 59, 68 & 76kg
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: WW 50, 55, 59, 68 & 76kg

Friday, February 21
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: WW 53, 57, 62, 65 & 72kg
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: WW 53, 57, 62, 65 & 72kg
14:30-15:30 - Draw FS, all weight categories
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: WW 53, 57, 62, 65 & 72kg

Saturday, February 22
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: FS 57, 65, 70, 79 & 97kg
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: FS 57, 65, 70, 79 & 97kg
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: FS 57, 65, 70, 79 & 97kg

Sunday, February 23
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: FS 61, 74, 86, 92 & 125kg
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: FS 61, 74, 86, 92 & 125kg
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: FS 61, 74, 86, 92 & 125kg

#WrestleAmman

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 19:27 By Ken Marantz

AMMAN, Jordan (March 26) -- With its two Olympic champions in action, it was a pretty sure thing that Iran would do better than its disappointing showing the previous day in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships.

The wrestling powerhouse sure did, rebounding all the way to the top of four medal podiums. Paris Olympic gold medalists Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) defended their Asian titles in leading a quartet of Iranians who captured titles on Wednesday in Amman, a day after Iran came away with just a single gold.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) and Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) also emerged victorious as Iran stormed to the team title with 201 points, well ahead of the 168 chalked up by second-place Uzbekistan, which claimed three golds on the opening day Tuesday -- all in head-to-head clashes with Iranian opponents. Japan finished third with 131 points.

Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK) won the other gold on offer on Wednesday with a victory at 60kg after taking silvers in 2018 and 2019.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) wrestles Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) in the 97kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Saravi, competing for the first time since Paris, showed again why he has been the dominant force at Greco 97kg in recent years when he easily outclassed 2023 world U23 bronze medalist Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) 8-0 in the final.

"This is my first official appearance after the Olympic Games," Saravi said. "Thank God I was able to put on a good performance and win the gold medal."

Put in par terre, Saravi scored a roll against the gutsy but outmanned Nakazato, then added an arm drag takedown for a 5-0 lead. Just seconds into the second period, Saravi got behind for a takedown during a scramble that landed him out of bounds.

The Japanese side took a risk and challenged the call, even though losing it would give Saravi the winning point. That's just what happened, and Saravi was champion at 3:08 with his third technical fall in three matches without conceding a point.

"After the Olympics, I suffered a knee injury, but thankfully, I’m in much better condition now," Saravi said. "Over the past two or three months, I’ve been able to train at the camp under the supervision of the national team and I’ve reached a decent level of readiness and felt good.

"I hope to reach full readiness by the World Championships and deliver a strong performance there to achieve the best possible result."

The 27-year-old Saravi, who also won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has not lost since falling 3-0 to Gabriel ROSSILO (CUB) in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships.

Perhaps more impressively, he has finished in the top-three in every competition he has entered since the 2019 worlds, a streak of 18 tournaments that includes a world gold in 2021 and Asian gold in 2020.

Saravi said he looks forward to renewing his rivalry with four-time Olympic medalist Artur ALEKSANYAN (ARM), whom he defeated in the final in Paris.

"Artur Aleksanyan is a great wrestler and someone I have a lot of respect for," Saravi said. "I see it as motivation for myself to face him several times in the coming years.

"I hope Aleksanyan can achieve the best results in the European Championships, and that we can put on a great match together at the World Championships so that the fans can enjoy it."

Saied ESMAEILI (IRI) sets up to throw Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) during the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Earlier, Esmaeili, also making his first appearance since the Olympics, had to work a bit harder than Saravi to prevail 3-0 in the 67kg final over world U23 champion Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), a repeat of the outcome of last year's final.

"This edition of the Asian Championships had a high level of competition, with renowned wrestlers from Japan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan," Esmaeili said. "The Kyrgyz wrestler was the world U23 champion and a strong competitor. The Japanese wrestler was the Asian Games champion and showed a high level of performance."

Esmaeili got a 2-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held his ground to avoid giving up a passivity point in a scoreless second to relegate Beishekeev to the silver medal again.

"In the final, I fought for those six minutes, but my opponent wasn’t really there to wrestle with me," Esmaeili said. "I attacked him during those six minutes, and in the second period, he kept stopping the match to catch his breath. Honestly, the final was the toughest match."

Esmaeili said he had to make the tough transition that comes with the notoriety of becoming an Olympic champion.

"After becoming an Olympic champion, people expect a lot from me, and because of the matches I’ve had, their expectations have increased," he said. "Every competition we enter is more stressful than before because people say, 'He’s an Olympic champion, so he has to perform well.'

"That’s why we have to be careful not to lose. The pressure of competition has become much heavier for us since the Olympics."

The loss was Beishekeev's first since last year's final in Bishkek, after which he won titles at the 2024 World U23 Championships and at this year's Tirana Ranking Series tournament. He also has bronze medals from both the Asian Games and Asian Championships in 2023.

Danial SOHRABI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 72kg final against Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 72kg, Sohrabi completed a dominant run to the title by putting away 2024 bronze medalist Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) 8-0 in the final for his fourth technical fall in four matches -- all without giving up a point.

Sohrabi, the 2023 world U23 champion, took advantage of the first shot at par terre by scoring consecutive rolls for a 5-0 lead, added a stepout, then finished the match with a takedown at 2:38.

Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) wrestles Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

World U23 champion Naghousi had his work cut out for him in forging a 3-1 victory over Omar SATAYEV (KAZ) in the 82kg final.

Naghousi used a body lock throw to score from par terre in the first period, then defended well from the bottom in the second period, avoiding giving up points on a rolling throw attempt by Satayev, whose silver marks his first senior-level medal.

Se Ung RI (PRK) celebrates after winning the gold medal at the 60kg weight class. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 60kg, Ri used his agility to step over and gain a 2-point exposure on a takedown attempt by world U23 champion Alisher GANIEV (UZB) in the second period, giving him a 6-4 win and his first victory in three trips to the Asian final.

"I trained really hard to make sure I would win first place here," Ri said. "In the match against the Uzbekistan athlete, since I was stronger overall, I tried my best to overpower him tactically and secure the gold medal."

Ri took the early lead with an arm drag takedown and gut wrench to go up 4-0, but Ganiev came back with a lateral drop for 2, then spun behind after stopping an arm throw to make it 4-4 with the criteria in his favor.

In the second period, Ganiev got in tight on a takedown attempt on the mat, but Ri stepped over the top to wrench Ganiev temporarily onto his back for the 2 that would give him the title.

Ri, who prevented Iran from having finalists in all five weight classes when he defeated Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) 8-4 in the semifinals, said he prepared well for what he knew would be a tough competition in the Olympic weight class.

"The 60kg category is an Olympic category, that's why I studied all of the opponents carefully, watched a lot of match footage and worked hard to win," Ri said.

Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 in the 82kg bronze-medal bout. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Qatar gains 2nd-ever Asian medal, with an Iranian tint

In the bronze-medal matches, Qatar picked up just its second-ever medal -- again thanks to the efforts of an import -- when Iranian-born Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) edged two-time bronze medalist Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB) 6-5 at 82kg.

Badaghimofrad, who finished fifth for Iran at the 2023 Asian Championships and made his debut for Qatar earlier this year, had fallen behind 5-4 from a scramble that was started from a nice 4-point fireman's carry by Rasulov. But Badaghimofrad used an arm drag for a takedown to go ahead before the break, then held off Rasulov in a second period that saw no passivity points assessed.

Qatar's only previous medal was a silver won at freestyle 125kg by Georgian-born Giorgi SAKANDELIDZE (QAT) in 2018 in Bishkek. There have been a handful of fifth-place finishes by native Qataris.

In the other 82kg match, Boseong KANG (KOR) pulls a surprise with a 6-6 victory over dethroned defending champion Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), using an effective arm throw to build a six-point lead before holding off a late charge from the Japanese teen.

At 60kg, Kaito INABA (JPN) added a bronze to the silver he won last year in Bishkek, defeating Iran's Naserpour 1-1 on last-point criteria in a match limited to passivity points.

With Inaba on top in the second period, Naserpour did an amazing job of preventing being thrown, but Inaba clinched the win when he wriggled out of a Naserpour arm spin late in the match.

The second bronze-medal match at 60kg was also decided on last point, as Ziyue XI (CHN) used a high-chest wrap to turn over Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ) from par terre and secure a 3-3 victory for the first major medal of his career.

Sulaimanov, who won an Asian U23 bronze here last year, converted a reverse body roll in his turn from par terre in the first period.

At 67kg, Man Gwang SON (PRK) scored a stepout with :43 second left, giving him the criteria advantage and a 2-2 victory over Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB). Boykuziev had gone ahead with a stepout during a throw in par terre to go up 2-1.

Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) won the 67kg bronze medal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Asian Games champion Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) hit a rolling 4-point throw from par terre in the first period and that was more than enough to defeat NEERAJ (IND) 5-0 in a battle between the 2022 bronze medalists. The loss denied Neeraj a third career Asian bronze.

In a bizarre finish at 72kg, Ji LENG (CHN) was on his way to a victory over Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) when a misguided challenge from the Jordan side gave the Chinese the points he needed for an 11-3 technical fall.

Leng had a pair of stepouts and a takedown-roll combination in the second period to build up a 9-3 lead when Al Daraghmeh attempted a pancake that was stopped and originally scored as 2 for Leng. The call was overturned as a slipped throw, but Jordan challenged anyway -- and "won" the challenge because Al Daraghmeh was instead assessed a 2-point leg foul penalty which ended the match.

Issei HONNA (JPN) earned the other 72kg bronze for his first international medal, ripping off three rolls from par terre en route to a 10-0 victory over Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) in 2:13.

At 97kg, NITESH (IND), a two-time Asian U23 medalist, earned his first senior medal with a one-sided 9-0 victory over Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM). Nitesh scored three gut wrenches from par terre, then ended the match with an arm drag takedown with :04 left in the first period.

Youfang ZHANG (CHN) snatched the other 97kg bronze in impressive fashion, reversing Jewoo PARK (KOR) during a gut wrench and securing a fall at 2:00.

Day 2 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Se Ung RI (PRK) df. Alisher GANIEV (UZB), 6-4

BRONZE: Kaito INABA (JPN) df. Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI), 1-1
BRONZE: Ziyue XI (CHN) df. Akyl SULAIMANOV (KGZ), 3-3

67kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) df. Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), 3-0

BRONZE: Man Gwang SON (PRK) df. Nozimjon BOYKUZIEV (UZB), 2-2
BRONZE: Katsuaki ENDO (JPN) df. NEERAJ (IND), 5-0

72kg (14 entries)
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Abdullo ALIEV (UZB) by TF, 8-0, 2:38

BRONZE: Ji LENG (CHN) df. Omar AL DARAGHMEH (JOR) by TF, 11-3, 5:14
BRONZE: Issei HONNA (JPN) df. Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM) by TF, 10-0, 2:13

82kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) df. Omar SATAYEV (KAZ), 3-1

BRONZE: Boseong KANG (KOR) df. Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN), 6-6
BRONZE: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB), 6-5

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yuri NAKAZATO (JPN) by TF, 8-0, 3:08

BRONZE: NITESH (IND) df. Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM) by TF, 9-0, 2:56
BRONZE: Youfang ZHANG (CHN) df. Jewoo PARK (KOR) by Fall, 2:00 (3-3)

Asian Championship Preview

Comments

Olympic champs prevail as Iran bounces back with 4 golds