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

Masoumi: Young star's quest for wrestling glory

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - 15:56 By Vinay Siwach

AMMAN, Jordan (March 18) — Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) already has his eyes set on next week’s Asian Championships in Amman. His goal is clear: gold. But the path to the podium runs through two opponents he knows all too well — Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) and BUHEEERDUN (CHN).

Two years ago at the Asian Championships in Astana, the then 18-year-old Masoumi suffered his only international losses to non-Iranian wrestlers. A semifinal defeat to Munkhtur was followed by a bitter loss to Buheeerdun in the bronze-medal bout at 125kg. Now, as a more focused and confident 20-year-old, Masoumi is eager to avenge those setbacks.

Masoumi has grown immensely since then. He is now a six-time world champion in various age groups, with two more titles added in 2024. In those competitions, he didn’t allow a single point to be scored against him. He continued his flawless form at the 2025 Zagreb Open, outscoring his opponents 42-0 in four matches. His elbow, which had once been a source of discomfort, is now fully healed, and Masoumi shows no signs of slowing down.

"I hope to use this experience and return to win the World Championships in Zagreb," he says after claiming gold in the Croatian capital.

Masoumi is on phone with his family, showing them the new sneakers he has bought in Zagreb. Not one but three pairs.

He loves shoes.

"I have a sneaker collection myself, and I really love shoes," he said. "I always carry a lot of them with me. For example, in this tournament alone, I brought five pairs. I mostly try to wear special brands and new collections. I think I have around 100 pairs of shoes."

That's where he spends most his money.

"I don't have to spend money on my face because it's perfect."

That is one way of easing off before the interview. Masoumi settles down with a big bar of chocolate which he finishes by the first two questions into the interview.

Masoumi has just won the Zagreb Open gold medal in a dominating manner and began the new Olympic cycle with a bang.

"The ultimate dream for every athlete is definitely an Olympic gold, and that’s mine as well," he says. "I want to stand on the podium in Los Angeles in four years."

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Masoumi is the most exciting heavyweight wrestling on the planet. He isn't your regular teenager of 125kg. Masoumi is a very quick for 125kg who destroys his opponents with a smile. He has six age-group world titles in three years.

He can gut-wrench, switch to the typical Iranian underhook pushouts and even wore down the opponents with his heavy-hands.

Masoumi was 16 when made his international debut at the 2021 U17 World Championships in Budapest at 110kg. He outscored his opponents 35-1 in four bouts and won gold. Then came the U20 World Championships next year. He won gold at 125kg and followed it with a gold medal at the U23 Worlds the same year. He was 17.

His senior debut came in 2022 at the World Cup in Coralville, Iowa, where he won all three of his bouts as Iran finished second to the United States.

The year 2023 wasn’t as fruitful, with Masoumi suffering losses at the Asian Championships and domestically. However, he was given the chance to challenge Zare for a spot in the Iranian team for the Paris Olympics. The match-up took place at the 2024 Zagreb Open, but Masoumi came up short.

Since then, he has bounced back with gold medals at five international tournaments, and now he is aiming for a sixth in Amman.

So, how did a wrestler from Gilan, a province not traditionally known for freestyle wrestling, rise to prominence so quickly?

“There’s no rivalry between us and Mazandaran,” Masoumi says. "It feels good to beat a province known for producing many wrestlers like Mazandaran, but I don’t feel good about defeating a specific city or village. There’s no animosity."

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) with his father Fardin. (Photo courtesy Amirreza Masoumi)

Masoumi was born in Masal village of the Gilan town in northern Iran. His father, Fardin, is a two-time World Championships medalists and the one who pushed him into wrestling.

"When I was three or four years old, when my father wrestled and I went to the competition hall to watch his practice, my childhood was intertwined with wrestling right there," he says. "I was able to get to know the wrestling environment much better in my childhood."

But it was a third-place finish, Masoumi's first medal at a national tournament, which resulted in congratulatory message and reception for Masoumi which he loved.

"I was 12 or 13 years old at the time," he said. "When I came third, I saw everyone come to our house and congratulate me, and I saw what a good feeling it was. So I tried to continue this process until now that I am here."

Standing tall at two metres, Masoumi is lanky for 125kg. More Geno than Zare. But he has to continuously monitor his weight which he does not want to go too high.

"My mother is almost 180cm tall and my father is 186cm," he said. "We're a tall family overall. However, I still control myself a lot to keep my weight down, especially since my mom tries not to feed me too much. I'm right on the edge for the 125 kg weight class, and if I gain any more weight, I'll have to cut it. That's why I'm very careful. My physique is also more similar to my mom and dad's."

Fardin was his first coach and Masoumi would watch his father's bouts against different competitors. While he kept a few techniques of his father, Masoumi was impressed with the others as well. Like the double underhooks he uses to drive his opponents out-of-bounds. Masoumi says he picked that from former world champion Bilyal MAKHOV (RUS).

"I mostly learned this from Makhov and his techniques in the World Championship final -- how he would get under his opponent’s armpit and drive them backward," he said. "I really liked how he was always moving forward. He was physically huge and kept attacking non-stop."

Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) with former world champion Reza YAZDANI (IRI). (Photo courtesy Amirreza Masoumi)

As he kept putting Gilan on the wrestling map, Masoumi was now being known. People will come to his home, farm and his father's business to congratulate. Being a successful Iran has its share of challenges. Growing up in Gilan and around wrestling, Masoumi wasn't unaware of the pressure it brings. There are fans who become your coach from stands, or even warm-up partners. Iran wrestlers are in the public eye most of their lives.

"I don't know about other countries, but in Iran, it's like that," Masoumi says. "It's the love."

Masoumi's first experience of "stardom" came after he former Asian champion Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI) at the selection trials in Iran.

"When I came out [of the stadium], there was a huge crowd, and a lot of spectators had come for the wrestling," Masoumi recalls ."I noticed many fans were coming up to take pictures with me. That’s when I felt like I was slowly entering an environment with a lot of pressure, and I realized I was growing in this kind of atmosphere."

Masoumi's personality clicks with the fans. He is humble yet celebrates his wins, he acknowledges the fans and doesn't shy away from being cheeky with his opponents after winning the bouts. He also witty.

"I think this comes down to my personality. I’m a bit hyperactive and always try to have my own unique style without being afraid," he says.

He expects them in Amman as well.

For Masoumi, the Asian Championships hold major significance -- not just for this year, but for his entire career. While world champion and Olympic silver medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) holds the top spot for Iran at 125kg, Masoumi is gunning for that position.

A gold medal in Amman would give Masoumi the chance to challenge Zare for a spot on Iran team for the 2025 World Championships.

"My opponent, Zare, is a tough competitor," Masoumi says. "I’ve been wrestling against him in Iran’s national team trials for three years now. I believe I can secure my spot on the national team this year and win gold at the World Championships."

Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) defeated Amirreza MASOUMI (IRI) in the 125kg final at the Zagreb Open in 2024. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Zare is also in top form, having won gold at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in similar dominant fashion. The world waits for their third meeting, likely at the Takhti Cup, Iran’s premier tournament, at the end of April. The winner of the best-of-three series will secure a spot at the World Championships.

"I need to compete in the Asian Championships," Masoumi says. "Any wrestler who wants to start in Iran should begin with the Takhti Cup and then move on to the 2025 World Championships."

Masoumi believes his unique wrestling style will give Zare trouble.

"I feel that match will be a great one for all wrestling fans. I think my wrestling style in the heavyweight category is quite unique. I don’t think there’s anyone in Iran’s heavyweight division with a six-pack. Naturally, in my mind, I aim to defeat Amirhossein to make up for my two previous losses."

Asian Championship Preview

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Masoumi: Young star's quest for wrestling glory