#WrestleAlexandria

China rebuilds women's team, one medal at a time

Saturday, February 25, 2023 - 20:34 By Vinay Siwach

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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (February 25) -- Over the two days of women's wrestling Alexandria, China took another step towards regaining its spot below Japan as the best country in the sport.

Having lost that place to the USA in the last three years and Ukraine on its heels, China needed to rebuild the team that can match, if not overtake Japan. It also included grooming younger wrestlers for international competition, the lack of which was evident at the World Championships last year as only Jia LONG (CHN) reached the final. Nine others did not even reach the semifinals.

Before Belgrade, the Chinese team traveled extensively in Europe to get back to the peak after being in China for more than a year. They camped in Germany, wrestled in Romania and Poland, camped in Serbia and participated in the World Championships. That is four months away from home.

Once they returned, a full lockdown was in effect in Beijing which meant being in the Olympic training center. No one was allowed to go out.

China flew to Iowa for the World Cup with little practice and made it to the final before losing to Ukraine. It was a big blow to the team which was considered second to Japan in the world. The wrestlers realized they have little time to regain their top form as the Paris Olympic qualifying World Championships was fast approaching.

The team began training together in Beijing in January and competed at the Zagreb Open in February. It won five medals but not a single gold as Japan continued its dominance in women's wrestling. The team flew to Hungary for the international camp before coming to Egypt for another competition.

In Alexandria, China ended the women's competition with eight medals including one gold and only three wrestlers out of 11 did not finish on the podium.

ChinaThe 50kg podium with three China wrestlers. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Moreover, the three 50kg wrestlers from China reached the podium for a second straight tournament. In Zagreb, Jiang ZHU (CHN) won silver while Ziqi FENG (CHN) and Meng FAN (CHN) won bronze medals. The latter two reached the final in Alexandria while Zhu won bronze.

The three wrestlers will add more Swiss Francs to the ones they won in Zagreb. Feng will pocket 1500 Swiss Francs for her gold while Fan will get 750 Swiss Francs. Zhu will get 500 Swiss Francs.

UWW began awarding prize money to Ranking Series medal winners this year and also allowed wrestlers to compete with a two-kilogram weight allowance at these tournaments.

Feng, a former U23 World silver medalist, is trying to fill the spot left vacant after Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Yanan SUN's (CHN) elongated break from international competition. Zhu, second fiddle to Sun for a long time, is in the same queue.

But Feng may well be the front-runner now as she defeated Zhu in the quarterfinals 12-2. She also defeated Oksana LIVACH (UKR), who had defeated Zhu in the World Cup, 15-4 in the opening round.

Feng wrestled Fan in the 50kg final and won that convincingly to all but seal her place for the Asian Championships. Fan defeated Feng in the final of the Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial in Bucharest, Romania last year.

Just before the end of the first period in the final, Feng stopped a right-side swing single and used a counter-offensive go-behind to pick up her first takedown. She quickly dropped below Fan’s knees, locked up an ankle lace and barrel-rolled her way to a staggering 10-1 lead. With a minute left in the second, Feng dumped Fan for the match-winning takedown, winning 50kg gold with 12-1 technical superiority.

While Feng emerged as the only gold medalist for China in Alexandria, Xiaojuan LUO (CHN) won silver at 62kg while Juan WANG (CHN) earned the same medal at 76kg after inspiring performances.

The other wrestlers with medals were Li DENG (CHN) with bronze at 53kg, Mengyu XIE (CHN) won bronze at 55kg, Qi ZHANG (CHN) won bronze at 57kg and ZHUOMALAGA (CHN) won bronze at 59kg.

At 53kg and 57kg, China will see the return of Tokyo silver medalist Qianyu PANG (CHN) and Ningning RONG (CHN) respectively as they continue to recover from injuries. At 68kg, veteran Feng ZHOU (CHN) is likely to make a return for the Asian Championships.

Yuliia TKACH (UKR)Yuliia TKACH (UKR) celebrates after beating world champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in the 59kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Ukraine wins 2 golds

After a gold-less day on Friday, Ukraine returned to the podium with veteran Yulia TKACH (UKR) and Tatiana RIZKHO (UKR).

Tkach put on a special performance by winning the 59kg gold medal over world champion Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) in a close final. She came out with heavy hands, using a left-side collar tie to dictate the match's pace. Aware of Nichita's tactics of setting up her for the off-the-elbow duck-under, Tkach attacked her head-on instead of straying away from Nichita’s go-to offense.

The 33-year-old was the first to put points on the board with a shot clock point. She used an elbow-post high crotch with her head to the outside of Nichita’s left hip but ran out of time, ending the first period with a 1-0 lead.

When the second period started, Tkach got right back to the shot that she failed to finish on in the first period. But this time, she stayed persistent, fighting for 60 seconds to pick up the takedown. She surrendered a takedown with :19 seconds left but hung out to win the match, 3-2.

The loss to Tkach ended Nichita's run of five straight gold medals in one year. It all started with the gold at the Yasar Dogu Ranking Series event in Istanbul exactly a year ago.

Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR), right, wrestles Emma BRUNTIL (USA) in their Round 2 bout at 65kg. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 65kg, European champion Rizhko put on a spirited show to win the gold in a five-wrestler bracket. She began with a victory via fall over BHATERI (IND) and followed that up with a 6-2 win over Emma BRUNTIL (USA) in what was her closest bout of the tournament.

Ayatalla AHMED (EGY) never came close to troubling Rizhko as she won 10-0 and Khadija JLASSI (TUN) managed one point in a 10-1 loss.

Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) defeated Li DENG (CHN) in the 53kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

In other gold medal bouts, former U23 world champion Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) was the standout performer of the day as she won the 53kg gold medal.

Yepez came out on the top in a weight class that included world champion Dom PARRISH (USA), European champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE), former U23 world champion Andreea ANA (ROU), Stalvira ORSHUSH (HUN), Nina HEMMER (GER) and Iulia LEORDA (MDA) among others.

In the final, she wrestled Deng and survived a scare before winning 9-4 for her first gold medal at a UWW event since the 2021 U23 World Championships.

After picking up the shot clock point, Yepez used a four-point double leg and a pair of gut wrenches to pick up the 9-0 lead. In the second period, Yepez gave up a four-point throw while trying to stay in bounds, cutting her lead to 9-4. It was here that Deng tried the fall as Yepez was on her back for 30 seconds. However, Yepez's one shoulder always stayed in the air.

Earlier in the day, Yepez combined aggressive wrestling with tight defense to reach the final. In the quarterfinals, she wrestled Hemmer and secured an 11-3 win before a 2-0 win over Ana as she completely shut off in the second period.

On the other side of the bracket, Malmgren eliminated Parrish but lost to Orshush who then suffered a 1-1 loss to Deng in the semifinal.

Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA)Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) and Bediha GUN (TUR) scramble in the 55kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

At 55kg, Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) had mentioned her World Championships rematch with Xie and she got that in the semifinal. In Belgrade, Winchester led 12-6 but suffered an injury and lost via fall.

But she avenged that loss to Xie, winning 4-0 and securing a place in the final against Bediha GUN (TUR). In the final, Winchester scored on an early stepout, followed by a head inside single leg to lead, 3-0.

Winchester remained the attacking wrestler throughout the bout and was rewarded when she pressured Gun, who fell in a clumsy manner and gave up four. In the closing seconds of the bout, Winchester went for the same move she began the bout and got a takedown which she tried transitioning into a fall but the time ran out.

Dalma CANEVA (ITA)Dalma CANEVA (ITA) secures a takedown against Alina LEVYTSKA (UKR) in the 72kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Dalma CANEVA (ITA) upgraded her silver from Zagreb Open to gold in Alexandria as she won the 72kg weight class over Alina LEVYTSKA (UKR) who had defeated her in Round 3.

After two dominating wins, Caneva wrestled Levytska in Round 3 and failed to break the Ukrainian's defense. Levytska got a point for Caneva's passivity and then a stepout which was challenged. Caneva scored a takedown but that was all as she lost 4-2.

Caneva defeated REETIKA (IND) via fall and got a chance to set the record straight with Levystka who clearly had the advantage after defeating her just hours before.

The lead switched hands three times in the final as Caneva picked up a shot clock point before the two traded takedowns. Caneva stopped a desperation shot attempt from Levytska and added two more points -- extending her lead to 5-2.

That was the final scoreline of the final as Caneva won the gold. She has now pocketed 2250 Swiss Francs, thanks to her two medals in three weeks.

Taha AKGUL (TUR)Taha AKGUL (TUR) launches a leg lace against Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL) in the 125kg final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

No surprises in freestyle

There were no surprises in freestyle as world champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) won the 125kg gold and World bronze medalist Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) won the 97kg title.

Akgul was wrestling for the first time since winning the world title in Belgrade and showed no signs of rust, winning the gold in Alexandria with a 5-0 victory over Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL).

The 2016 Olympic champ did what he had to do in the first period before shutting things down in the second. After picking up the shot clock point in the first, the defending world champ scored a takedown from an underhook throw, then transitioned to a leg lace for a 5-0 first-period lead.

He sat on that lead with confidence, knowing that it was enough for him to claim the gold in his first competition in five months. Akgul was part of the rescue efforts after two devastating earthquakes hit Turkiye just 20 days ago.

Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK)Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) won the 97kg gold. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Tcakulov too had a fruitful day as he captured his first gold medal of the season and warmed up for the April European Championships, in which he will be a returning bronze medalist, with a 7-1 win over Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL).

He was called passive in the first period but seemed more active in the second and picked up a three-point takedown, as he struck with a takedown just as Baranowski’s shot clock expired. With :10 left, Tcakulov stopped Baranowski’s desperation shot attempt and picked up one for the step out. But the Polish wrestler still had his challenge, so he threw the brick and won the challenge, keeping the Slovakian’s lead to 5-1. But as action resumed, Tcakulov halted Baranowski’s bull rush attempt and scored on an easy drop-level double leg, winning the bout, 7-1.

The remaining eight freestyle weight classes will be in action Sunday, the final day of the Ibrahim Moustafa Ranking series.

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RESULTS

50kg
GOLD -  Ziqi FENG (CHN) df. Meng FAN (CHN), 12-1

BRONZE - Alyssa LAMPE (USA) df. Madison PARKS (CAN), via inj. def.
BRONZE - Jiang ZHU (CHN) df. Oksana LIVACH (UKR), 4-1

53kg
GOLD - Lucia YEPEZ (ECU) df. Li DENG (CHN), 9-4

BRONZE - Andreea ANA (ROU) df. Nina HEMMER (GER), 11-2
BRONZE - Stalvira ORSHUSH (HUN) df. Anastasia BLAYVAS (GER), 9-4

55kg
GOLD - Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) df. Bediha GUN (TUR), 9-0

BRONZE - Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ) df. Sushma SHOKEEN (IND), via inj. def.
BRONZE - Mengyu XIE (CHN) df. Tatiana DEBIEN (FRA), 7-4

59kg
GOLD - Yuliia TKACH (UKR) df. Anastasia NICHITA (MDA), 3-2

BRONZE - Yuliia LESKOVETS (UKR) df. SIMRAN (IND), via fall
BRONZE - ZHUOMALAGA (CHN) df. Diana KAYUMOVA (KAZ), 11-0

65kg
GOLD - Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR)
SILVER - Emma BRUNTIL (USA)
BRONZE - Khadija JLASSI (TUN)

Key match: Tetiana RIZHKO (UKR) df. Emma BRUNTIL (USA), 6-2

72kg
GOLD - Dalma CANEVA (ITA) df. Alina LEVYTSKA (UKR), 5-2

BRONZE - REETIKA (IND) df. Lilly SCHNEIDER (GER), 10-0

Freestyle

97kg
GOLD -  Batyrbek TCAKULOV (SVK) df. Zbigniew BARANOWSKI (POL), 7-1

BRONZE - Vladislav BAITCAEV (HUN) df. Benjamin HONIS (ITA), 8-0
BRONZE - Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Murazi MCHEDLIDZE (UKR), 7-0

125kg
GOLD - Taha AKGUL (TUR) df. Kamil KOSCIOLEK (POL), 5-0

BRONZE - Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB) df. Benxin DUAN (CHN), 6-0
BRONZE - Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) df. Nicholas GWIAZDOWSKI (USA), 11-0

#WrestleAmman

Asian Championships 2025 GR day one finals set

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 - 07:58 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

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AMMAN, Jordan (March 25) -- The 2025 Asian Championships begins in Amman with Japan hoping for continental domination after a rich show at the Paris Olympics. Iran, the leader in Greco-Roman and Freestyle, will be challenged by Japan. In Women's Wrestling, Japan has China and DPR Korea.

WATCH LIVE | LIVE MATCH ORDER | ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

Iran comes out of the sessions with four finalists and Uzbekistan manages three. All three Uzbekistan's gold medal bouts will be against Iran wrestlers.

Kazakhstan, Iraq and Japan with a finalist each. The gold medal bouts will begin at 18:00 hours local time.

130kg gold medal bout: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) vs Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)

14:33: In the final semifinal bout of the session, Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ) assures himself of a fourth career Asian medal with a 4-1 win over Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB) in their 130kg semifinal. Nasimov gets the first-period passivity call, but can't turn Syzdykov. In the second period, Syzdykov gains a stepout, then pretty much puts the match away with a gut wrench from par terre as Nasimov can find no way to break through the Kazakh's defenses. Syzdykova has the full collection of medals — a silver in 2021, a gold in 2022 and a bronze in 2023. What color will this year's be?

14:28: U23 world champion Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) makes it to the 130kg final with an 8-0 technical superiority win over Yuta NARA (JPN). Takedown, stepout, takedown and two turns help him win 9-0 in one minute and seven seconds.

87kg gold medal bout: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) vs Yasin YAZDI (IRI)

14:21: Yasin YAZDI (IRI) is into the final at 87kg in just his second international tournament on the senior level, getting the points in par terre for a correct throw while avoiding giving any away while in bottom in a 3-1 victory over Sunil KUMAR (IND).

14:20: Former Asian champion Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) is into the final at 87kg after a fairly one-sided victory over Shamil OZHAEV (KAZ) in the semifinal. Berdimuratov hit a suplex from par terre to lead 5-0 before defending the par terre position in the second period to win 5-1.

77kg gold medal bout: Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) vs Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI)

14:10: Two-time reigning world U20 champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) is into the final at 77kg in his senior Asian debut, outlasting a determined Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) in a lively 4-3 victory. Maksatbek Uulu, winner of the Tirana Ranking Series tournament and a 2023 world U23 bronze medalist, is on top in par terre first, but Abdevali extricates himself from a front headlock. The Iranian then dances out of potential stepouts and, in final seconds of the first period, gets behind for a takedown and a 2-1 lead. Abdevali scores a pair of stepouts, and those points prove vital when Maksatbek Uulu gets behind for a takedown.  

14:05: Aram VARDANYAN (UZB), who has only a bronze medal at the Asian Championships back in 2018, is guaranteed a silver medal as he moves into the 77kg final with a 9-0 win over Amro SADEH (JOR), dashing the hopes of the hosts.  

63kg gold medal bout: Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) vs Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB)

13:58: Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), the returning bronze medalist at 63kg, hits off a correct throw for two points from par terre to lead Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) 3-0 at the break. Keshtkar gets the par terre in the second period and he fails to put his hands on Chung twice and is asked to resume in standing. A huge blunder from Keshtkar. Chung leads 3-1. Keshtkar gets the third passivity advantage and par terre. This time he puts his hands correctly and completes a throw outside for a point. Chung is docked two points for an aggressive elbow and asked to restart in par terre. Chung sneaks out. He pressures Keshktar for a stepout but the Iranian hits a chest wrap for four to lead 8-3 with 13 seconds on the clock. Challenge from Korea for stepout. On review, the step is inside and Keshtkar gets four points. He leads 9-3 and will win with hte same score.

13:56: It doesn't get more fast and furious than the 63kg semifinal between Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) and Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB). Assetuly opens the scoring with a takedown and a 2-point throw, only to see Khalmakhanov come back with a 4-point fireman's carry, to which he added a 4-point throw. But when he tried another throw at the edge, Assetuly shut it down and forced the Uzbek to land on his back to get 2, with an unsuccessful challenge tacking on another point. Assetuly caps the first period with a stepout for a 9-7 lead. The second period is all Khalmakhanov, who finishes off a 16-7 win with a takedown straight to a roll.

55kg gold medal bout: Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) vs Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ)

13:45: Defending champion Yu Chol RO (PRK) falls to Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) after a tense semifinal at 55kg. Ro built a 5-0 lead in the first period but Yamagiwa answers with a a big four from par terre to lead 5-5 on criteria. Ro tries a arm-throw that is blocked by Yamagiwa who gets a out-of-bounds point. DPR Korea challenge but lost and Yamagiwa leads 7-5. Ro with a front headlock two to make it 7-7 but Yamagiwa leads on criteria. The Japanese brings out a arm-throw to make it 11-7. With five seconds left, Ro manages to hit a body throw which is scored only two points. Yamagiwa is asked to be in par terre but fails to score and Yamagiwa wins 11-9.

13:37: In the 55kg semifinals, Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) fights back from a five-point deficit to not only take the lead, but finish off Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) with a fall and assured a better medal than the bronze he took home last year. Botirov, a bronze medalist in 2023, makes the most of his first shot at par terre, scoring with a gut wrench and then going top for a headlock roll, although Albidhan squirmed out of that and got behind for a reversal. Trailing 5-1, he then scores a 4-point takedown to the back when Botirov momentarily loses his balance to go ahead 5-5 on criteria. In the second period, Albidhan scores a takedown, gets 2 for an exposure, then holds Botirov down for the fall at 4:27.  

Semifinals in the five weight classes begin now

13:15: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) gets Sanghyeok PARK (KOR) in par terre and Park is cautioned for fleeing. Berdimuratov finishes the bout 10-0 after Park is asked to restart in par terre. Berdimuratov into the 87kg semifinal.

13:14: Sunil KUMAR (IND), a silver medalist back in 2019 looking to regain some of his old magic, gives India a presence in the opening-day semifinals with a 10-1 victory over Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK) at 87kg. Sunil scores all of his points in the second period, getting two gut wrenches from par terre with a 2-point penalty tacked on after the second one; a point for an unsuccessful challenge of the penalty; then a 2-point roll to finish the match at 4:25.

13:04: World U23 and U20 champion Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) emulates his compatriot Yazdi, building up a 7-0 lead in his 130kg quarterfinal before using a stepout to defeat Asian U23 champion Wenhao JIANG (CHN) 8-0.

13:03: Yasin YAZDI (IRI) gives Iran another semifinalist with an 8-0 win over Jiaxin HUANG (CHN). Yazdi scores three rolls in par terre for a 7-0 lead. He needs just 28 seconds of the second period to finish off the victory.

13:00: Seonjae KIM (KOR) with two turns from par terre to lead 5-0 against Yuta NARA (JPN) at the break in the 130kg quarterfinal. But Nara shows up in the second and scores six turns from par terre to win 13-5 and enter the semifinals. But Korea challenge for the last turn and wins the challenge to give a lifeline to Kim. But Nara holds on to win to However, Nara scores a stepout in the final second and a caution for fleeing against Kim. A 13-5 win for Nara.

13:00: Former Asian champion and three-time medalist Alimkhan SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) proves too much for Ali AL SHARIJEE (IRQ), chipping away before posting an 8-0 victory to advance to the 130kg semifinals.

12:56: Russian-born Shamil OZHAEV (KGZ) gets a takedown late in the first period to take a 2-2 lead on criteria over world U23 bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) in their 87kg quarterfinal. in the second period, Ozhaev appears to get a takedown-roll combination at the edge, but on challenge, it is ruled a stepout for Zhanyshov. Just when it looks like he's going to hold on for a win, Ozhaev arm drags him to the mat for the winning takedown in the final seconds. The move is upheld on challenge for a 5-3 win. 

12:49: Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ), the 2023 world U23 champion and 2021 Asian champion at 67kg, cruised into the 63kg semifinals with a 9-0 rout of Doolotbek CHOIBEKOV (KGZ).

12:45: Incredible strength from AYTJAN KHALMAKHANOV (UZB) to throw Chan KIM (PRK) with a underhook setup. He gets the par terre and then scores another four-pointer to win 9-0 in a minute and 43 seconds at 63kg.

12:45: World U23 bronze medalist Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) hits a nifty 4-point spinning arm throw in the second period to top off a 6-0 victory Yun LU (CHN) to book his spot in the 55kg semifinals.

12:36: World U20 champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) is through to the semifinals at 77kg with an 11-2 victory over Lai Hsing YAO (TPE).

12:35: Mohammad KESHTKAR (IRI) gets the par terre advantage in the 63kg bout against Godai MITANI (JPN) and he fails to score. Iran quickly challenge for a fleeing foul against Mitani who is cautioned for fleeing and returned in par terre with Keshtkar leading 2-0. However, he fails to add any points. Keshtkar make it 4-0 with a takedown. In the second period, Keshtkar scores a stepout as Mitani's head touched out of bounds. Mithani gets a lifeline with par terre with 1:55 left on the clock. Mitani's a few tricks but fails to add any points. He later scores a stepout and makes it 5-2. Keshtkar answers with a four-pointer and wins the bout 9-2

12:35: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), a bronze medalist two years ago, makes short work of 2024 bronze medalist Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ), scoring four gut wrenches from par terre for a 9-0 victory and a place in the 55kg semifinals.

12:31: In one of the feature bouts of the session, defending champion Yu Chol RO (PRK) gets the first shot at par terre in his 55kg quarterfinal with Poya DAD MARZ (IRI), but the Iranian doesn't budge. In the second period, Dad Marz gets his shot, and he also can't get any points. With 1:16 to go, Ro gets a second chance, and this time he muscles Dad Marz over for 2, then hangs on for hard-fought 3-1 victory. It was a far different result from last year in Bishkek, when Ro scored a 9-0 win for the gold medal.

12:30: Back and forth match at 55kg between Sajjad ALBIDHAN (IRQ) and Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ). Albidhan races to a 7-0 lead but Kamaliyev adds a takedown from scramble to cut it to 7-2 at the start of the second period. Kamaliyev keeps the pressue and as Albidhan tries to evade, he called for a foul and par terre with a 7-3 lead. He reverses the position and scores two turns to win 12-3.

12:22: Amro SADEH (JOR) gives the home crowd another impressive victory, capping a 10-0 victory over Sagar THAKRAN (IND) with a 4-point throw from par terre to book a place in the semifinals at 77kg.

12:20: Hekim GURBANMYRADOV (TKM) got two points on Yryskeldi MAKSATBEK UULU (KGZ) at 77kg but Maksatbek Uulu, who recently won gold in Tirana Ranking Series, scores 10 to win 10-2

12:17: Kim CHAN (PRK), a bronze medalist at 63kg a year ago, has a scary moment when he was stopped on his back during a roll by Suhib ALHASANAT (JOR), but otherwise has no trouble scoring a 13-2 victory.

12:10: Paris Olympics fifth placer Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) needs one par terre advantage to sprint to a 9-0 technical superiority victory over 2022 Asian champion Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) at 77kg

12:08: Two-time Asian U23 champion Haodong TAN (CHN) pulls off a miracle victory over Iranian-born Aref MOHAMMADI (QAT), scoring 4 points in the final seconds for a 6-3 win. Mohammadi had gone ahead 3-2 with a second-period takedown and appeared to have the victory well in hand. Qatar has had just one Asian medalist in its history, a freestyle silver in 2018 from Georgian-born Giorgi Sakandelidze.

12:07: Ali AL SHARUEE (IRQ) with a big 9-0 win over PREM (IND) at 130kg. Al Sharuee with a stepout and caution to lead 2-0. He gets the par terre advantage to lead 3-0. Three turns from par terre and he wins 9-0

12:03: Takedown and three turns will do it for multiple time Asian medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) against Ganbayar NAMSRAI (MGL) at 63kg. Chung is chasing the elusive gold he fell short in 2023

12:00: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) with a takedown and gut-wrench for a 4-0 lead over Abduvali RAHIMBAYEV (TKM). Botirov blocks an attempted takedown from Rahimbayev which is scored two. Turkmenistan challenges but lost. The restart is in par terre and Botirov gets the turn for a 9-0 win

11:59: Can Mostafa ALQADE (JOR) make it 2-for-2 for the hosts? He gets the roll from par terre against Asian U23 champion Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ), but Kamaliyev reverses him to his back. A foul, puts Kamaliyev on top and he adds a gut wrench for a 6-3 lead. In the second period, Kamaliyev gets the passivity call, and from par terre bulls Alqade over for 2 before ending the match by fall.

11:50: Defending 55kg champion Yu Chol RO (PRK) advances to the quarterfinals with a 9-0 victory over NITIN (IND), setting up a rematch of the 2024 final with Poya DAD MARZ (IRI). 

11:55: Kohei YAMAGIWA (JPN) has to do it twice but he beats Junsik YU (KOR) 11-1 at 55kg. Yamagiwa with a reverse lift and then a front headlock throw to  lead 7-1. He then gets a four-pointer for the win.

11:45: Another fall on Mat A. Hekim GURBANMYRADOV (TKM) needs only a minute to pin Orgil NYAM ERDENE (MGL) at 77kg. 55kg weight class matches on Mat A now.

11:42: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ), the 2022 gold medalist at 72kg, gets three rolls from par terre, then gives up nothing from the bottom for a 7-1 victory over Dowon LEE  (KOR) at 77kg. 

11:42: Amro SADEH (JOR) gets off to a good start at 77kg for the host nation, which hasn't had an Asian medalist since 2013. He scores a 4-point throw in the first period, then hangs for a 6-6 victory on criteria over Jixin YU (CHN).    

11:30: Not the ideal start for Japan here. Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) gives an injury walkover to U20 world champion Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) at 77kg. Next match on Mat A, Sagar THAKARAN (IND) gets a quick fall over Aryan BIN AZMAN (SGP) at 77kg in the first 30 seconds.

11:15: Welcome to Amman! The Asian Championships is here with Greco-Roman on day one. Wrestling in 55kg, 63kg, 77kg, 87kg and 130kg will wrestle today.