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Asian Games Day One: Updated Results and Photos

By United World Wrestling Press

INCHEON, Korea (September 27) – Results at 48kg and 63kg in female wrestling and 57kg and 70kg in men's freestyle at the Asian Games on Saturday, September 27:

57kg - Men's Freestyle
Gold: JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) df. Rasul KALIEV (KAZ), 8-6
Bronze: BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) df. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN), 5-3
Bronze: YUN Jun-Sik (KOR) df. Nikolay NOEV (TJK), 5-2

Semifinals: JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) df. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN), 4-2
Semifinals: Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) df. YUN Jun-Sik (KOR), 9-3

Repechage: Nikolay NOEV (TJK) df. Fahad Ali GHAZWANI (KSA) by FALL, 0:20 (8-0)

Quarterfinals: JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) df. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL), 11-8
Quarterfinals: Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) df. Ramil REJEPOV (TKM), 6-0
Quarterfinals: Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) df. Nikolay NOEV (TJK), 7-2
Quarterfinals: YUN Jun-Sik (KOR) df. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI), 1-0

Preliminaries: BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) df. Firas ALALLI ALRIFAI (SYR) by fall, 1:50 (4-0)
Preliminaries Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) df. Amit KUMAR (IND), 2-2
Preliminaries: Ramil REJEPOV (TKM) df. Muhammad BILAL (PAK) by TF, 10-0, 1:49
Preliminaries: Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) df. Fahad Ali GHAZWANI (KSA) by TF, 10-0, 1:07
Preliminaries: Nikolay NOEV (TJK) df. Basheer ALYAMANI (YEM) by TF, 10-0, 1:27
Preliminaries: Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) df. Samat NADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) by TF, 10-0, 5:57
Preliminaries: YUN Jun-Sik (KOR) df. HONG Xiaobin (CHN) by TF, 13-2, 5:41

70kg -- Men's Freestyle

Gold: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. OH Man-Ho (KOR), 7-2
Bronze: Eleman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ) df. JANG Myong-Song (PRK), 6-0
Bronze: Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) df. LING Haiwei (CHN), 8-0

Semifinals: OH Man-Ho (KOR) df. JANG Myong-Song (PRK), 1-1
Semifinals: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN), 6-0

Repechage: LING Haiwei (CHN) df. Somirshoh VOKHIDOV (TJK), 8-7

Quarterfinals : OH Man-Ho (KOR) df. Eleman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ), 7-2
Quarterfinals: JANG Myong-Song (PRK) df. Mohamed KHAN SHAIKHOUNI (SYR), 12-4
Quarterfinals: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. LING Haiwei (CHN) by TF, 10-0 (4:48)
Quarterfinals: Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) df. Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI), 3-3

Preliminaries: LING Haiwei (CHN) df. WIN Hlaing Htwe (MYA) by fall, 1:21 (6-0)
Preliminaries: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. Somirshoh VOKHIDOV (TJK) by TF, 12-1, 2:31
Preliminaries: Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) df. Azamat OMURZHANOV (KAZ), 5-1
Preliminaries: Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) df. Parveen RANA (IND), 3-2

48kg - Female Wrestling
Gold: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. SUN Yanan (CHN), 5-1 
Bronze: Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ) df. Maliwan MUANGPOR (THA) by TF, 10-0
Bronze: Vinesh (IND) df. ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL) by TF, 10-0

Semifinals: SUN Yanan (CHN) df. Maliwan MUANGPOR (THA) by TF, 10-0 in 2:45
Semifinals: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. Vinesh (IND), 6-4 

Repechage: Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ) df. Margarita FILIPPOVA (TKM) by TF, 10-0 (1:12)
Repechage: ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL) df.  LEE Yu-Mi (KOR), 6-5


Quarterfinals: Maliwan MUANGPOR (THA) df. Sotheara CHOV (CAM), 12-5
Quarterfinals: SUN Yanan (CHN) df. Margarita FILIPPOVA (TKM) by TF, 12-1, 1:01
Quarterfinals: Vinesh (IND) df. Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB) by fall, 4:41 (10-0)
Quarterfinals: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL), by TF,12-2, 3:27

Preliminaries: SUN Yanan (CHN) df. Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ), 8-3
Preliminaries: Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB) df. Kyu Thein KYU (MYA) by fall, 5:44 (11-0)
Preliminaries: Vinesh (IND) df. PAK Yong-Mi (PRK), 4-3
Preliminaries: ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL) df. NGUYEN Thi Lua (VIE), 3-1
Preliminaries: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. LEE Yu-Mi (KOR), 6-2

63kg - Female Wrestling
Gold: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) by creiteria, 4-4
Bronze: SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) df. KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) by TF, 10-0
Bronze: Geetika JAKHAR (IND) df. LY Thi Hien (VIE) by FALL, 0:55

Semifinals: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL), 11-8
Semifinals: XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) df. Geetika JAKHAR (IND) by FALL in 5:46 (11-7)

Repechage: LY Thi Hien (VIE) df. Aziza SULTAMURATOVA (UZB), by FALL, 0:57 (8-0)
Repechage: KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) df. CHEN Wen-ling(TPE), 7-2


Quarterfinals: SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) df. KIM Ran-Mi (PRK), by fall, 1:10 (2-2)
Quarterfinals: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) by TF, 10-0
Quarterfinals: XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) df. LY Thi Hien (VIE) by fall, 0:48 (4-0)
Quarterfinals: Geetika JAKHAR (IND) df. AUTNUN Jaratrawee (THA), 8-0

Preliminaries: KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) df. Oday LATXOMPHOU (LAO) by TF, 10-0, 2:13
Preliminaries: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. CHEN Wen-ling(TPE) by TF, 10-0
Preliminaries: XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) df. Aziza SULTAMURATOVA (UZB) by fall, 2:38 (6-0)
Preliminaries: LY Thi Hien (VIE) df. MAY Thazin Phue (MYA) by TF, 10-0
Preliminaries: Geetika JAKHAR (IND) df. Ekaterina LARIONOVA (KAZ), 5-4
Preliminaries: AUTNUN Jaratrawee (THA) df. Violetta SHUMILOVA (TKM) by TF, 10-0

'I was destroyed, couldn't sleep': Ghasempour recalls painful loss to Sadulaev

By Vinay Siwach

TIRANA, Albania (March 10) -- "I've thought about it a lot. Of course, it's in the past and thinking about it won't change anything. But I've thought a lot about why I made a mistake in those four seconds and I could have managed the wrestling differently and finished it very easily."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) stares at the empty walls of the interview room as he recalls the heartbreaking and shocking 5-3 loss to Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) in the semifinal of the World Championships last October.

The images of Ghasempour holding his head in hands after the loss went viral on social media. Sadulaev was praised for his champion mindset and his ability to script a remarkable late turnaround. Ghasempour was consoled by his fans, who urged him to not lose heart.

Those comforting words felt hollow at that point and Ghasempour felt 'lost'.

"The reality is that the fighting spirit and the feeling I had on the first day of the competition caused all those feelings to disappear and I was destroyed. I couldn't control myself and I just wanted the competition to end and go back," Ghasmepour says, with his voice breaking as he recollects his thoughts.

For 5 minutes and 55 seconds, Ghasempour controlled the 92kg semifinal against Sadulaev, a two-time Olympic champion known for his must-win attitude. A loss would have reinforced the belief that the Sauldaev aura was fading. A win for Ghasempour, a two-time world champion at 92kg, would make him only the third wrestler to beat Sadulaev.

But with five seconds remaining, Sadulaev snapped the Iranian down, spun behind, then managed to fling him to the mat for a 4-point takedown.

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW), behind, hits the match-winning takedown on Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

"It was also very difficult for me to come to terms with the loss," Ghasempour recalls. "After the match, I felt very bad and didn't sleep all night. I was awake from the intensity of thought and pressure, and it was very difficult for me. Due to the pressure I was under, I took four painkillers after the match."

A few hours of sleep was never going to be enough for Ghasempour to return for his bronze-medal bout against David TAYLOR (USA), which he lost 6-2.

Four months have passed since that day in Tirana, a city Ghasempour returned for the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series last week and captured the gold medal. Though not the World Championships and there was no Sadulaev in the field, Ghasempour managed to bring a smile on his face as he stood on the podium.

However, memories flashed back.

"When I was going up to the podium [after winning gold], I thought again that I could have been standing on the Worlds podium a few months ago, not this tournament," he said. "But that's how sports is, and if a professional athlete wants to continue their path, they must know that winning and losing are part of sports."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) won the 92kg gold medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ghasempour did take comfort from the messages he received. Yet, he is unable to move on from those five seconds of lapse in concentration.

"People gave me a lot of good energy and praised me constantly, which shows the kindness of the people," he says. "But what I wanted didn't happen and the result wasn't as I wanted. It would have been better if it ended with a good result."

As the new Olympic cycle begins, Ghasempour wants to make amends. There will be many pit stops before he can be at his first Olympics and he wants to capture every gold medal that comes his way.

"There are three more World Championships left before the Olympics [in 2028]," he says. "The World Championships are very important to me, and after that, it's the Olympic medal that I want to have in my medal showcase. In the year leading up to the Olympics, I will make the decision and compete in a weight class so that I can participate in the Olympics."