#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships 2024 Entry List

By United World Wrestling Press

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 3) -- The Asian Championships will return to Bishkek after six years with 366 wrestlers scheduled to compete at the April 11-16 event in the Kyrgyzstan capital.

Across the 30 weight classes, 13 returning champions are entered with only one -- Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) -- moving from 72kg to 77kg in Greco-Roman. Freestyle has four returning championships, Women's Wrestling has two and Greco-Roman has seven.

Japan will send a strong team to the Asian Championships led by Yui SUSAKI (JPN). Four of the six wrestlers for Japan's Paris Olympics team are set to compete in women's wrestling.

For the hosts, world champions Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) and Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) will look to win gold medals in front of the home crowd. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) is also entered at 76kg.

World champion and defending Asian champion Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) will be wrestling at 97kg and will look to earn his second gold medal at the Asian Championships.

This tournament will also mark the first competition with Indian wrestlers competing under the country's name and flag after United World Wrestling lifted the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India last month.

Freestyle

57kg
Weiyu LI (CHN)
UDIT (IND)
Ebrahim KHARI (IRI)
Khattab AL ANI (IRQ)
Kento YUMIYA (JPN)
Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ)
Almaz SMANBEKOV (KGZ)
Changjun PARK (KOR)
Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL)
Muhammad BILAL (PAK)
Kum Hyok KIM (PRK)
Gayan KATHURANGANA (SRI)
Aiaal BELOLYUBSKII (TJK)
Kabe MATJANOV (TKM)
Nodirbek JUMANAZAROV (UZB)

61kg
Zhipeng JIANG (CHN)
Akash DAHIYA (IND)
Reza ATRI (IRI)
Kaisei TANABE (JPN)
Assyl AITAKYN (KAZ)
Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ)
Sanghyeon SON (KOR)
Enkhbold ENKHBAT (MGL)
Alvin LOBREGUITO (PHI)
Ali ABURUMAILA (PLE)
Kum Chol RI (PRK)
Tharindu CHANDRASEKARA (SRI)
Dzhamshed SHARIFOV (TJK)
Amir HAMAYUN (TKM)
Sardor RUZIMOV (UZB)
Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM)

65kg
Baowen WEI (CHN)
ROHIT (IND)
Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI)
Mohammed KAREEM (IRQ)
Masanosuke ONO (JPN)
Sanzhar MUKHTAR (KAZ)
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ)
Seonho YOO (KOR)
Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL)
Muhammad ABDULLAH (PAK)
Abdullah ASSAF (PLE)
Hyon Song HAN (PRK)
Divoshan CHARLES FERNANDO (SRI)
Kamol BEGAKOV (TJK)
Jelaletdin SEYIDOV (TKM)
Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB)

70kg
Shijian ZHOU (CHN)
ABHIMANYOU (IND)
Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI)
Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN)
Meirzhan ASHIROV (KAZ)
Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ)
Seungchul LEE (KOR)
Chinzorig TSERMAA (MGL)
Fierre AFAN (PHI)
Yan LEE (SGP)
Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK)
Perman HOMMADOV (TKM)
Begijon KULDASHEV (UZB)

74kg
Yi LI (CHN)
YASH (IND)
Hossein ABOUZARIPASHKOLAEI (IRI)
Ali AL OBAIDI (IRQ)
Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN)
Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ)
Kanat KERIMBEKOV (KGZ)
Sangho HAN (KOR)
Batbayar BATSUKH (MGL)
Muhammad ULLAH (PAK)
Yong Nam SO (PRK)
Mark PETER (SGP)
Madushanka LAKMAL (SRI)
Viktor RASSADIN (TJK)
Alp BEGENJOV (TKM)
Zafarbek OTAKHONOV (UZB)

79kg
Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN)
Nan CAO (CHN)
Parvinder SINGH (IND)
Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI)
Erzo ISAKOV (JOR)
Ryunosuke KAMIYA (JPN)
Azamat OMURZHANOV (KAZ)
Adilet MARATBAEV (KGZ)
Bumgue SEO (KOR)
Byambadorj ENKHBAYAR (MGL)
Muhammad TAHIR (PAK)
Magomet EVLOEV (TJK)
Gurbanmyrat OVEZBERDIYEV (TKM)
Asomiddin HASANOV (UZB)

86kg
Vuthy HENG (CAM)
Peilong LI (CHN)
Sandeep MANN (IND)
Hadi VAFAEIPOUR (IRI)
Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRQ)
Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN)
Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)
Atai IZABEKOV (KGZ)
Gyeongyeon LEE (KOR)
Batbilguun NAADAMBAT (MGL)
Haider BUTT (PAK)
Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM)
Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB)

92kg
Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN)
Suhe GANG (CHN)
VINAY (IND)
Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI)
Issa AL OBAIDI (IRQ)
Satoshi MIURA (JPN)
Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ)
Nurtilek KARYPBAEV (KGZ)
Jinmyeong KIM (KOR)
Batzul DAMJIN (MGL)
Orazmuhammet HOJALYYEV (TKM)
Sherzod POYONOV (UZB)

97kg
Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)
Tuerxunbieke MUHEITE (CHN)
VICKY (IND)
Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI)
Hibiki ITO (JPN)
Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ)
Andrey ARONOV (KGZ)
Jeongwoo PARK (KOR)
Batzul ULZIISAIKHAN (MGL)
Muhammad INAM (PAK)
Badzha KHUTABA (SYR)
Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM)
Makhsud VEYSALOV (UZB)

125kg
Shamil SHARIPOV (BRN)
BUHEEERDUN (CHN)
Anirudh KUMAR (IND)
Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)
Koki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Abylay SOVET (KAZ)
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Hyunsu HAN (KOR)
Odgerel BATKHISHIG (MGL)
Zaman ANWAR (PAK)
Omar SAREM (SYR)
Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM)
Sardorbek KHOLMATOV (UZB)

Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) and Sakura MOTOKI (JPN) will clash for the third time with the Kyrgyz leading the head-to-head 2-0. (Photo: UWW / Kostadin Andonov)

Women’s Wrestling

50kg
Samnang DIT (CAM)
Ziqi FENG (CHN)
Shivani PAWAR (IND)
Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
Irina ZHANIBEKOVA BORISSOVA (KAZ)
Miseon KWON (KOR)
Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
Munkhgerel MUNKHBAT (MGL)
Jiah PINGOT (PHI)
Yong Ok HWANG (PRK)
Nipuni WASANA (SRI)
Ciao Yun LI (TPE)
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)
Thi NGUYEN (VIE)

53kg
Chun LEI (CHN)
ANJU (IND)
Nagisa HARADA (JPN)
Ayazhan MARKASHEVA (KAZ)
Aizhan SABYRBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Yeji MIN (KOR)
Otgontuya CHINBOLD (MGL)
Aliah GAVALEZ (PHI)
Ji Hyang KIM (PRK)
Nethmi AHINSA (SRI)
Vatansulton SHAKARSHOEVA (TJK)
Lachyn ANNAMURADOVA (TKM)
Yi Jing CHEN (TPE)
Dilshoda MATNAZAROVA (UZB)
Thi NGUYEN (VIE)

55kg
Min ZHANG (CHN)
TAMANNA (IND)
Moe KIYOOKA (JPN)
Zulfiya YAKHYAROVA (KAZ)
Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ)
Jungeun LEE (KOR)
Dulguun MUNKHBOLD BOLORMAA (MGL)
Kyong OH (PRK)
Madina ARIPOVA (TKM)
Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB)

57kg
Yongxin FENG (CHN)
SARITA (IND)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Laura ALMAGANBETOVA (KAZ)
Kalmira BILIMBEKOVA (KGZ)
Bogyeong KIM (KOR)
Gantuya ENKHBAT (MGL)
Hyon Ju YUN (PRK)
Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB)

59kg
Qi ZHANG (CHN)
Pushpa YADAV (IND)
Risako KINJO (JPN)
Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ)
Tancholpon KYBALBEKOVA (KGZ)
Eunsu JEONG (KOR)
Anudari BATKHUYAG (MGL)
Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB)

62kg
LILI (CHN)
MANISHA (IND)
Sakura MOTOKI (JPN)
Tynys DUBEK (KAZ)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Subeen JO (KOR)
Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL)
Arian CARPIO (PHI)
Su Gyong CHOE (PRK)
Miyasar KUSHMURATOVA (UZB)

65kg
Yaru WU (CHN)
ANTIM (IND)
Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN)
Irina KAZYULINA (KAZ)
Dilnaz SAZANOVA (KGZ)
Soobin KIM (KOR)
Enkhjin TUVSHINJARGAL (MGL)
Naziya JORAYEVA (TKM)
Dinora RUSTAMOVA (UZB)

68kg
Zelu LI (CHN)
RADHIKA (IND)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Albina KAIRGELDINOVA (KAZ)
Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ)
Hyeonyeong PARK (KOR)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Po Gyong RI (PRK)
Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB)

72kg
Qian JIANG (CHN)
HARSHITA (IND)
Sumire NIIKURA (JPN)
Anastassiya PANASSOVICH (KAZ)
Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)
Jiseon LEE (KOR)
Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL)
Oguljan EGEMBERDIYEVA (TKM)
Ozoda ZARIPBOEVA (UZB)

76kg
Yuanyuan HUANG (CHN)
PRIYA (IND)
Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Seoyeon JEONG (KOR)
Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL)
Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE)
Valentina TORENIYAZOVA (UZB)

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)World champion Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) will look to defend his 130kg Greco-Roman title. (Photo: UWW / Sachiko Hotaka)

Greco-Roman

55kg
HUSIYUETU (CHN)
Arjun HALAKURKI (IND)
Poya DAD MARZ (IRI)
Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ)
Kagetora OKAMOTO (JPN)
Nurzat KABDYRAKHIMOV (KAZ)
Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ)
Taemin KIM (KOR)
Yu Chol RO (PRK)
Alexander CUEVAS (SGP)
Abduvali RAHIMBAYEV (TKM)
Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB)

60kg
Liguo CAO (CHN)
SUPARMANTO (INA)
PRAVESH (IND)
Amirreza DEHBOZORGI (IRI)
Ali ALBIDHAN (IRQ)
Kaito INABA (JPN)
Galym KABDUNASSAROV (KAZ)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Seunghak KIM (KOR)
Hassan ALHARTHI (KSA)
Baljinnyam TSEVEENRAVDAN (MGL)
Mark OLIVEROS (PHI)
Hyok SONG (PRK)
Aslamdzhon AZIZOV (TJK)
Umit DURDYYEV (TKM)
Jui Chi HUANG (TPE)
Ilkhom BAKHROMOV (UZB)

63kg
Haodong TAN (CHN)
UMESH (IND)
Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI)
Karrar ALBIDHAN (IRQ)
Ayata SUZUKI (JPN)
Yerzhet ZHARLYKASSYN (KAZ)
Dastan KADYROV (KGZ)
Dokyung JUNG (KOR)
Rayan B HAWSAWI (KSA)
Chan KIM (PRK)
Walid HINDI (QAT)
Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB)

67kg
Lei LI (CHN)
Muhammad ALIANSYAH (INA)
Vinayak PATIL (IND)
Saeid ESMAEILI LEIVESI (IRI)
HARUTO YABE (JPN)
Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ)
Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ)
Hanjae CHUNG (KOR)
Saud ALSUBAIE (KSA)
Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL)
Jason BAUCAS (PHI)
Man Gwang SON (PRK)
Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK)
Rovshen ATDAYEV (TKM)
Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB)

72kg
Ji LENG (CHN)
Ankit GULIA (IND)
Mohammadreza ROSTAMI (IRI)
Shingo HARADA (JPN)
Nikolay KHAPKO (KAZ)
Adilkhan NURLANBEKOV (KGZ)
Jiyeon LEE (KOR)
Ahmed BARAHMAH (KSA)
Mohamad ALOBEID (SYR)
Begmyrat NOBATOV (TKM)
Abdullo ALIEV (UZB)

77kg
Tongyu CHEN (CHN)
SAJAN (IND)
Amir Ali ABDI (IRI)
Ali ALABODA (IRQ)
Nao KUSAKA (JPN)
Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ)
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Yeonghun NOH (KOR)
Temuulen ENKHTUYA (MGL)
Gadiel MISSO (SGP)
Bazargeldi EZIMOV (TKM)
Lai Hsing YAO (TPE)
Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB)

82kg
Rohit DAHIYA (IND)
Rasoul GARMSIRI (IRI)
Taizo YOSHIDA (JPN)
Yevgeniy POLIVADOV (KAZ)
Bekzat ORUNKUL UULU (KGZ)
Sejin YANG (KOR)
Mukhammadkodir RASULOV (UZB)

87kg
Chengwu WANG (CHN)
AJAY (IND)
Naser ALIZADEH (IRI)
Sultan EID (JOR)
Masato SUMI (JPN)
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ)
Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ)
Seunghwan LEE (KOR)
Turbold GANBOLD (MGL)
Aryan BIN AZMAN (SGP)
Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK)
Yhlas ABDURAZAKOV (TKM)
Rahimjon UZOKOV (UZB)

97kg
Houzhi HAO (CHN)
Narinder CHEEMA (IND)
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)
Masayuki AMANO (JPN)
Iussuf MATSIYEV (KAZ)
Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Jeongyul KWON (KOR)
Badamdorj BALTMUNKH (MGL)
Mirzoamin SAFAROV (TJK)
Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM)
Abdikodir JALILOV (UZB)

130kg
Lingzhe MENG (CHN)
Mehar SINGH (IND
Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)
Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ)
Keita KOBAYASHI (JPN)
Mansur SHADUKAYEV (KAZ)
Erlan MANATBEKOV (KGZ)
Minseok KIM (KOR)
Ganzolboo BUYANTOGTOKH (MGL)
Eduard BABENOSHEV (TJK)
Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM)
Islomjon RAKHMATOV (UZB)

#JapanWrestling

Two-time Olympic champ Risako Kinjo brings curtain down on stellar career

By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (October 12) -- Risako KINJO (JPN), who won two Olympic gold medals under her maiden name of Kawai before capturing a fourth world title last year after giving birth, officially announced her retirement over the weekend.

"I felt that I had experienced everything that was good about being a wrestler," the 31-year-old Kinjo told the Japanese media Sunday on bringing down the curtain on one of wrestling's most sterling careers. "I felt fulfilled and happy with a life in which wrestling was my passion."

Kinjo also revealed that she is pregnant with her second child as she spoke to the media at the Japan Women's Open in Akitsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where she was coaching younger sister Yukako TSUNEMURA (JPN), who was returning to the mat for the first time since becoming a mother herself.

Kinjo first announced her retirement on her Instagram account on Saturday night, stating that in the 24 years since she started wrestling at age 7, "I have had good experiences and bad, highs and lows. But to win four world championships and two consecutive Olympics was all due to the support and encouragement of many people. I thank them all."

Kinjo first struck Olympic gold at 63kg at Rio in 2016, then won out in a duel that captivated the wrestling world with fellow Rio and four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO (JPN) for the 57kg spot at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she took home a second gold.

Of the clash of the titans with Icho, Kawai remarked, "I had no more difficult period than that. I'm glad I was able to experience it."

In the Tokyo semifinals, Kinjo had to face yet another Rio gold medalist in Helen MAROULIS (USA), who had moved up from 53kg. Kinjo came away with a 2-1 win, then defeated Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) 5-0 for the gold.

With Yukako also winning the 62kg gold, it elevated the Kawai sisters to celebrity status in the host country. The two got their start in the sport at the kids' club run by their mother. Both of their parents were national-level wrestlers.

Soon after Tokyo, Risako married former wrestler Kiryu KINJO, and in May 2022, gave birth to a baby girl. Instead of settling down to a domestic life, motherhood lit a fresh flame to continue the sport.

"I had originally planned to win the Tokyo Olympics and then retire gracefully," Kinjo said. "I even told people around me that I would quit after the Tokyo Olympics. But when I got married and got pregnant, I felt that my body wasn't only my own, and I wanted to continue wrestling.

"While I was pregnant, I watched Yukako's matches and thought to myself, 'If it were me, I would do it like this,' so after my child was born, I decided to try it again."

Her bid to win a third straight Olympic gold in Paris, however, was derailed by the reigning world 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), who went on to triumph in the French capital.

Rebuffing speculation that the loss would mark her swan song, she showed her passion for the sport by sticking around. With the incentive of wanting to have her daughter see her compete and make some history, she had no qualms about moving into the non-Olympic weight of 59kg.

She suffered a setback of sorts at the Asian Championships in April 2024, when she lost to Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the semifinals and had to settle for a bronze medal.

But she righted the ship at the Non-Olympic Weight World Championships in October that year in Tirana, Albania, where she cruised into the 59kg final and defeated Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) 4-2.

"No one from Japan had ever achieved becoming a 'world No. 1 as a mama', and it would be ideal if I could do it," Kinjo recalled thinking. "When I accomplished it at the World Championships last October, as soon as it was over I thought there is nothing else that I want."

That victory added to the three consecutive senior world golds that she won from 2017 to 2019. She also has a silver from 2015, and her laurels include a world cadet (U17) gold and two world junior (U20) titles, and she was a four-time Asian champion.

Kinjo was a star at Shigakkan University during its golden era as the elite powerhouse of women's wrestling in Japan, also producing such greats as Icho, Saori YOSHIDA (JPN), Eri TOSAKA (JPN), Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) and Sara DOSHO (JPN).

Looking ahead, she says her focus will be on raising her new baby while staying involved in the sport.

"Right now I am eight months pregnant, and first and foremost I will put my full efforts into proper childcare. And at the same time, I will be Yukako's coach and always maintain a link to wrestling," she said.

At the Japan Women's Open, a second-tier event that offers qualifying spots at the All-Japan Championships, Yukako showed she still has some rust to be knocked off. Entered at 59kg, she won her first two matches before falling to high schooler Miuna KIMURA (JPN) 4-1 in the semifinals.

The tournament also saw the return of Sakurai for her first competition since winning the gold in Paris. She needed three wins to take the 57kg title, defeating collegian Himeka HASEGAWA (JPN) 5-0 in the final.