Kougioumtsidis gives Greece historic world gold as 1st male champion

Monday, September 15, 2025 - 20:27 By Ken Marantz

ZAGREB, Croatia (September 15) -- For all of Greece's history in the sport of wrestling-- one of the current styles even bears the country's name -- it had never produced a male world champion.

Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) rectified that situation with a determined performance, defeating Levi HAINES (USA) 3-2 in the 79kg final on Monday night, the third day of the World Championships in Zagreb when four freestyle golds were up for grabs.

"I'm very proud," Kougioumtsidis said. "I'm the first one who won a gold medal at the World Championships. It's my dream come true. I failed at the Olympics last year. I think this year is a good achievement. I achieved my goal."

In other finals, Chongsong HAN (PRK) gave his country its first world gold since 2019 with a come-from-behind victory at 57kg, while Japan and the United States each picked up their second golds of the competition, with Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) winning at 74kg under sad circumstances and Trent HIDLAY (USA) putting on a comeback for the ages to triumph at 92kg.

Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) scores a stepout against Levi HAINES (USA) in the 79kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The 23-year-old Kougioumtsidis came to Zagreb flying under the radar for title favorites. He was a two-time European U23 champion, and won the senior gold in 2022, but had lost in the first round at 74kg at the Paris Olympics and was third at this year's Budapest Ranking Series.

But he steadily battled his way through the rounds to advance to final, where he wrestled a solid and sensible match that took advantage of opportunities while keeping his American foe at bay.

After receiving an activity point, Kougioumtsidis got in on a single that led to a stepout and a 2-0 lead at the break. He repeated the move again in the second period and, although he surrendered a takedown with :02 left, it wasn't enough to deter him from his appointment with destiny.

"He's a very offensive wrestler, I know that," Kougioumtsidis said. "He has very good conditioning. My condition is also good. I was a bit tired from yesterday because of four matches. But I won, that's what matters most."

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Kougioumtsidis said that after his disappointment in Paris, he took some time off, then spent time training in Georgia.

"After the Olympics I had maybe five months off because I wasn't feeling very good," he said. "I had very good training. This year, I mostly was in Georgia for camp and thanks to my sparring partners from Georgia that helped me. I achieved the biggest goal here."

Until Kougioumtsidis' victory, the lone Greek to ever step to the top of the medal podium at the World Championships was Sofia POUMPOURIDOU (GRE), who won the women's 51kg gold in 2002 on home soil in Chalkida, Greece.

Only three times has a Greek man ever even advanced to a world final (Giorgios ATHANASSIADIS (GRE) did in twice), all in freestyle, but never did they come away with a gold. The last time was in 1991.

"I'm very lucky also that I am Greek," Kougioumtsidis said. "So I feel like I made all Greeks proud. I am Greek and I love my country."

Chongsong HAN (PRK) works on a gut-wrench against Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ) during the 57kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 57kg, things could hardly have gone worse for Han in his gold-medal match with Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), which was a rematch of their semifinal clash at the 2023 Asian Games, which Han won 4-2.

Ahead 1-0 in the second period, Almaz Uulu stopped an arm throw attempt -- which, if challenged, could possibly have been overturned as a slip -- then added two 2-point exposures to go up 7-0.

Han determinedly fought on, and a scramble that he initiated with a front headlock roll gave him six points to cut the lead to 9-6. He then scored a takedown and added two gut wrenches to notch a 12-9 victory.

Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) and Chermen VALIEV (ALB) wrestle in the 74kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

At 74kg, Takahashi won by injury default after his opponent in the final, Olympic bronze medalist Chermen VALIEV (ALB), suffered a serious knee injury and, after trying to soldier on for a short time, was forced to give up the fight.

"It leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste, but I feel like I won the world title with the tackle that works best for me, so I'm happy," Takahashi said.

Takahashi, the 2024 world U23 champion, had a 3-2 lead when Valiev tried to counter a single-leg attempt 35 seconds into the second period by going over the top.

Takahashi had Valiev's left leg at an acute angle and his own action caused the knee to pop, after which he immediately sank to the mat in pain.

"When I got in on the single, I tried to get my head out and finish it off as I always do," said Takahashi, who scored off an identical move in the first period. "It was all but done, I thought. But the opponent was entangled deeper than I thought, and I heard a snap."

Valiev's leg was taped and he limped into the circle, but it was obvious it would be almost an impossible task to continue, much less win. Takahashi scored a stepout, then got a takedown that Valiev initially countered -- much to everyone's surprise -- but could not continue the move. Another takedown finally proved to Valiev that it was futile to go on and the match was ended at 4:07.

While Takahashi did not deliberately target the injured leg, nor did he let up on Valiev, which he said would have been disrespectful to such a high-level competitor. He also recalls not being given any special treatment when he suffered a similar injury himself while winning last year's U23 title.

"He's a strong competitor, and once you take the mat, you can't let your guard down," Takahashi said. "I thought to just give everything I had. When I had my injury a year ago, the opponent came right at me without thinking about it. Conversely, it would be rude to have eased up."

Takahashi's victory comes at what is increasingly looking like a golden era for Japan in freestyle. Following up on the two golds and a silver at the Paris Olympics, Japan got one of the first golds in Zagreb when Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) won the 70kg title on Sunday. And earlier Monday, Olympic champion Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) advanced to the 65kg final.

"At the Olympics, Japan really did amazingly well, so there were high expectations for this [competition]," Takahashi said. "Instead of feeling pressure or nerves, we want to show 'Japan is strong' and that actually gives us more confidence."

Looking ahead, which could include a direct clash with Paris silver medalist Daichi TAKATANI (JPN), Takahashi has his eyes firmly set on 2028.

"I'm really happy to be the world champion, but what I am aiming for is the Los Angeles Olympics," he said. "The Olympics is a stage where you can be a champion just once every four years. I will work on sharpening my tackles."

In the last bout of the evening, Hidlay was being tossed around like a rag doll by Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW), only to rally from an eight-point deficit through sheer persistence and determination. When the dust cleared, Hidlay had himself a 13-10 win and a gold medal in his senior world debut.

"It wasn't my best wrestling match as I wrestle a lot better and cleaner than that," the 26-year-old Hidlay said. "But I would say nothing probably describes my wrestling style and career better than being down by eight points and figuring out a way to win within a short time."

Gadzhimagomedov, a relative unknown on the scene, relied almost solely on a counter lift and throw that he used to great effect early on, scoring a pair of 4-pointers to take a 10-2 lead. When he tried a third one that could have ended the match, Hidlay managed to hold his position enough to get an exposure, which, with an unsuccessful challenge, cut the gap to 10-5 at the break.

In the second period, Gadzhimagomedov didn't seem to have the energy to get the necessary height to complete the move, and Hidlay finished off a pair of double-leg takedowns to pull within one with a minute to go. Then he hit the coup de grace, a 4-point takedown with :15 left to complete the miracle.

"I think the work I put in in the first period, I wasn't scoring, but it was taking it out of him a little bit," Hidlay said. "It was just a matter of time before I was able to get to my scores."

Hidlay, the 2022 world U20 silver medalist at 86kg, called being a senior world champion "surreal" and said that it hadn't fully sunken in yet.

"I just had so many emotions kind of flood over you in that moment and you kind of just go blind to the world," he said. "Just for a couple of seconds, you just feel like you're floating.

"It's just something I've worked for my entire life, my entire career. To have it all come together in that fashion is just pretty incredible."

Harutyunyan denies Mexico first-ever world medal

Earlier, Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX) came an agonizing few centimeters from giving Mexico its first-ever world medalist.

That was the distance Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) kept his knee off the mat, preventing what would have been a last-second winning takedown in their 57kg bronze-medal match.

With a denied challenge giving him a final point, four-time European champion Harutyunyan secured a 7-4 win and a fourth world medal in five years.

Harutyunyan looked to be cruising to victory when he added a takedown and exposure to an activity point for a 5-0 lead going into the second period. But Bravo Young, a collegiate star in the United States, launched a comeback, sandwiching two takedowns around a Harutyunyan stepout to cut the gap to 6-4.

With the clock ticking down, Bravo Young deftly deked his way behind Harutyunyan, but the Armenian resisted as the Mexican did all he could to get his opponent's knee to hit the mat.

The other 57kg bronze went to Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), who was on the activity clock when he scored a second-period takedown to give him a 3-1 victory over Vladimir EGOROV (MKD). With the victory, Abdullaev adds the world bronze to his Olympic bronze from last year in Paris.

Former Olympic and three-time world champion Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) assured he wouldn't leave Zagreb empty-handed, and he did it with a dramatic last-second victory over David CARR (USA) at 74kg.

Sidakov received an activity point in the first period, but he was on the clock in the second when Carr scored a stepout. Seconds later, the activity point was added to Carr's tally to put him ahead 2-1.

It looked like that was how it was going to end, but the cagey Sidakov managed to slip behind and force Carr over the edge for a stepout with :05 left to secure a 2-2 win on criteria.

Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) earned the other 74kg bronze with a 3-1 victory over Yones EMAMI (IRI), securing the decisive points with a second-period takedown for his fourth career world medal.

Iran picked up two bronze medals, with 2024 Asian champion Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) taking home one at 79kg and reigning Asian champion Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) winning the other at 92kg.

Nokhodi, the 2024 Asian champion, took home his fifth world medal -- alas, still no gold -- when he scored a takedown and stepout in the first period and held on for a 4-2 victory over Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) at 79kg.

Firouzpour quickly finished off Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ), latching onto a cradle as he defended against a takedown attempt, then rocking backward to put the Kazakh onto his back and secure a fall in 1:49 for his first senior world medal.

The other 79kg bronze was claimed by Asian silver medalist Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN), who was trailing Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL) until the last minute when he went on a point-scoring spree, including a 4-point pancake, for a 9-2 victory.

European silver medalist Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) broke open a close match in the second period to beat Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO) 5-1 for the other 92kg bronze, upping his tally of world medals to four.

Day 3 Results

Freestyle

57kg (31 entries)
GOLD: Chongsong HAN (PRK) df. Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ), 12-9

BRONZE: Arsen HARUTYUNYAN (ARM) df. Roman BRAVO YOUNG (MEX), 7-4
BRONZE: Gulomjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Vladimir EGOROV (MKD), 3-1

65kg (34 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Peiman BIABANI (CAN), 5-0
SEMIFINAL: Kotaro KIYOOKA (JPN) df. Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB), 5-0

74kg (35 entries)
GOLD: Kota TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Chermen VALIEV (ALB) by Inj. Def., 4:07 (8-2)

BRONZE: Zaurbek SIDAKOV (UWW) df. David CARR (USA), 2-2
BRONZE: Taimuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK) df. Yones EMAMI (IRI), 3-1

79kg (27 entries)
GOLD: Georgios KOUGIOUMTSIDIS (GRE) df. Levi HAINES (USA), 3-2

BRONZE: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE), 4-2
BRONZE: Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) df. Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL), 9-2

92kg (26 entries)
GOLD: Trent HIDLAY (USA) df. Amanula GADZHIMAGOMEDOV (UWW), 13-10

BRONZE: Osman NURMAGOMEDOV (AZE) df. Miriani MAISURADZE (GEO), 5-1
BRONZE: Amirhossein FIROUZPOUR (IRI) df. Kamil KURUGLIYEV (KAZ) by Fall, 1:49 (4-0)

97kg (29 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Amirali AZARPIRA (IRI) df. Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN), 5-2
SEMIFINAL: Kyle SNYDER (USA) df. Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), 9-1

Women's Wrestling

55kg (18 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Kyong Ryong OH (PRK) df. Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) by Fall, 1:06 (4-0)
SEMIFINAL: Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) df. Andreea ANA (ROU), 5-3

59kg (22 entries)
SEMIFINAL: Sakura ONISHI (JPN) df. Altjin TOGTOKH (MGL), by Fall, 1:22 (6-0)
SEMIFINAL: Maria VYNNYK (URK) df. Laurence BEAUREGARD (CAN), 10-5

#wrestlebishkek

Ozaki Avoids Carnage that Hits Japan in Bishkek Semifinals

Thursday, April 9, 2026 - 05:34 By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 9) -- In what was turning out to be a miserable semifinal session for Japan, two-time Asian champion Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) restored normal order as she reached the 62kg final at the Asian Championships in Bishkek.

Japan saw two of its returning medalists -- Moe KIYOOKA (JPN) and Sara NATAMI (JPN) -- get pinned in their respective semifinals at 53kg and 57kg before Ozaki stepped on the mat for her own 62kg semifinal.

She left no room for error in securing a fall over Nigina SABIROVA (UZB) in just under two minutes. After grabbing a single-leg takedown, Ozaki spun behind for a 4-0 lead. She stayed on the offensive, getting an exposure before securing a cradle, by which she ended the match. Ozaki, who was dealt an upset loss herself last year when she had to settle for a bronze, will be look to add to the Asian titles she won in 2022 and 2024.

"[My condition] is not bad]," Ozaki said. "I didn't want to let up and was determined to keep fighting to the end. That's how I could have matches like my first one and this one. It went well."

If Ozaki wants to win the gold medal on Friday, Ozaki will have to beat one of the few wrestlers who have dealt her an international loss -- Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK).

The two had clashed in the final of the Asian Games in 2023 when Mun secured a 6-6 criteria win over Ozaki for the gold medal On Thursday, Mun reached the final with a dominant 11-0 victory over Tynys DUBEK (KAZ) using her strong gut-wrench sequences.

Ozaki is looking to the challenge of facing Mun again, especially a month before the Meiji Cup.

"This time, the [DPR] Korea team was entered in few weight classes," she said. "But looking ahead to the Meiji Cup, I came to this competition expecting to face opponents who are as strong as the top-class wrestlers in Japan."

Soon after Ozaki, two more Japanese wrestler made it to the finals. Nana IKEHATA (JPN) and Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN) will look to add golds to Japan's tally at 65kg and 72kg, respectively.

In the 65kg semifinals, a takedown in each period was enough for Ikehata to secure a 4-0 win over Hanbit LEE (KOR) and reach her first Asian Championships final. She will face LILI (CHN) for the gold medal.

Lili, a world bronze medalist in 2023, earned a shot at an Asian gold by muscling her way to a victory by fall over Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB). Lili opened the scoring by shrugging by and getting behind for a takedown. After being put back on their feet, the two were on their knees when Esenbaeva suddenly found herself on her back, courtesy of a powerful pancake. The fall came at 2:09.

At 72kg, Yoshitake pinned HARSHITA (IND) in the semifinals. Harshita opened the scoring in the match with a takedown and she was working on a second one, when Yoshitake escaped and caught Harshita in a quad-pod. The Japanese then threw Harshita directly to danger to get four points. India challenged the call but lost it to give one more point to Yoshitake who led 5-2 at the break.

There was no more scoring sequence in the match until the last 15 seconds when Harshita tried to throw Yoshitake for a four-pointer. She almost succeeded but the Japanese did not land in danger and used a headlock to secure the fall just as the time expired.

Yoshitake will have to beat former 65kg world champion Jia LONG (CHN) to win the gold medal. Long defied the vocal home crowd and took out Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) with an 11-1 win.

Long, who moved up from 68kg, struck first with a single-leg takedown and gut wrench, but gave up a reversal point when Nurtaeva stepped over on a second roll attempt, making it 4-1 at the break. In the second period, Long added a stepout, then whizzered Nurtaeva to her back in countering a takedown shot to make it 7-1. A scramble resulted in her getting behind for 2 more, from which she used her high gut wrench to end the match in 4:32. Long will get a chance at a second Asian gold, having won the 65kg title in 2023.

The two upsets for Japan came at 53kg and 57kg. In a rematch of the 2024 world final at 55kg, Jin ZHANG (CHN) avenged that loss in Tirana in devastating fashion by catching Kiyooka in a momentary lapse and securing a victory by fall in their 53kg semifinal in Bishkek.

Kiyooka, the silver medalist last year, opened with a low single for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. But when she shot in again later, Zhang put in double underhooks and pancaked the Japanese onto her back, ending the match at 2:32. Kiyooka, the 2024 champion at 55kg, will find little comfort in completing her collection of Asian medals with a bronze in Bishkek.

Jang will face MEENAKSHI (IND) in the gold medal bout on Friday. Meenakshi, who defeated two-time world bronze medalist ANTIM (IND) to make the team for the Asian Championships, booked her spot in the final after a 4-2 win over Seoyoung PARK (KOR). Down 2-0 till the last 30 seconds of the semifinals, Meenakshi used a slick pick to throw Park in danger for four points.

At 57kg, Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) was too much to handle for defending champion Sara NATAMI (JPN). She opened the scoring with a takedown and almost got a fall. However, the Japanese survived but not before giving up two points. A stepout for Natami cuts Batkhuyag's lead to 4-1 at the break.

Both wrestlers got into a bear hug in the second period but it is the Mongolian who managed to trip Natami and held the Japanese down for the fall.

Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) will challenge Batkhuyag in the final. Hong overwhelmed Youngjin KWON (KOR) with a 10-0 win in 31 seconds.

Hong got a quick takedown and, as Kwon clinged to a leg, Hong reached back for the head and turned the Korean over. From there, she got an arm between the legs, lifted and chalked up three more exposures to end the match.

Hong's Bronze Age included taking home medals of that color at the 2023 Asian Games, 2024 Paris Olympics, 2025 Asian Championships and 2025 World Championships.

Qualification Session Higlights

12:46: LILI (CHN), a 2023 world bronze medalist, charges into the 65kg semifinals with a solid 10-0 win over former Asian bronze medalist Gulnura TASHTANBEKOVA (KGZ) that she completes with a takedown with two seconds left in the first period. Lili started the rout with a slick backwards trip for a 4-point takedown.

12:46: Nana IKEHATA (JPN), winner at the Zagreb Ranking Series and the 2024 world U20 champion, breaks open a close match with two-time world U23 bronze medalist MONIKA (IND) in the final minute of their 65kg quarterfinal, scoring a takedown, arm-bar exposure and two lace-lock rolls for a 10-1 victory.

12:41: Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB) opens with a 4-point takedown, and that will prove crucial when Narkhajid NYAMSUREN (MGL) continually chipped away at the lead in their 65kg quarterfinal.

12:40: Defending champion at 57kg Sara NATAMI (JPN) muscles her way into the semifinals with a 13-2 technical superiority over Nilufar RAIMOVA (KAZ). She scored a stepout before blocking an arm-spin from Raimova to score a takedown during the Kazakhstan wrestler's activity time, making her lead 4-0. Raimova began the second period completing the arm-spin and getting two points. Natami regroups and pancakes Raimova for four points before turning her for two more. She finishes the match 12-2 with a takedown and one more point for a lost challenge.

12:37: Asian Games champion Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) spins behind for a takedown early in the second period and holds on for a 3-0 victory over former world bronze medalist MANSI (IND) to advance to the 62kg quarterfinals.

12:27: MANISHA (IND), the 62kg champion last year who has dropped all the way down to 57kg, falls at the first hurdle, sent to an 8-2 defeat by Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) in their quarterfinal clash.

12:21: Two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Nonoka OZAKI (JPN) looks like a woman on a mission as she aims to make up for a bronze-medal finish last year. In what could have been regarded as the marquee matchup of the session, Ozaki puts on a takedown clinic in forging out a 10-0 victory over former world and Asian champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) to advance to the 62kg semifinals. Ozaki gains her fifth takedown of the match at the 2:37 mark.

12:20: Former Asian champion Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) drops her 72kg bout against HARSHITA (IND) despite on a scoring spree in the final minute. Down 6-2, Bakbergenova scored a stepout and a takedown to make it 6-5. She tried got another stepout just as the clock expired which made the score 6-6 but Harshita kept the criteria. Kazakhstan challenged for a foul but on review, even the last stepout point was removed as Harshita was still inside when the time expired. That made Harshita a 6-5 winner.

12:17: World, Asian and Olympic bronze medalist Kexin HONG (CHN) quickly secures her spot in the 57kg semifinals, gaining a takedown against Thi My Trang NGUYEN (VIE), securing a lace lock and getting the requisite four spins for a 10-0 win :35.

12:06: Former world and Asian champion Moe KIYOOKA (JPN), aiming to improve on her silver medal from last year, faces stiff resistance from 2025 bronze medalist Zeinep BAYANOVA (KAZ) in their 53kg quarterfinal, but grinds out a 10-0 win that she finishes with a takedown at 3:58.

12:05: Mahiro YOSHITAKE (JPN), the 2024 Asian champion at 65kg, is into the 72kg semifinals with victory by fall over Sevinchoy POLVONOVA (UZB). Yoshitake gets a 2-point exposure countering a takedown attempt, then turns Polvonova to secure the fall in 1:50.

12:01: Jia LONG (CHN), owner of a full collection of world medals and an Asian champion in 2023, finishes off a 10-0 win over Odgerel ERDENE OCHIR (MGL) just inside the first-period buzzer to book her place in the 72kg semifinals.

12:00: Asian Games champion Hyon Gyong MUN (PRK) and former world champion Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) don't give any chance but Sukhee is called passive in the second period and Mun gets a 2-1 lead. She holds on to that lead to win the 62kg bout.

11:59: World bronze medalist Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ) breaks through the defense of Soobin KIM (KOR) for a single-leg takedown, then applies the lace lock and that's all she wrote in their 72kg qualification round match. Four quick spins and Nurtaeva is a 10-0 winner and into the semifinals.

11:55: It was a repechage bout but Paris bronze medalist Ziqi FENG (CHN) and Asian bronze medalist NEELAM (IND) put on one of the most exciting bouts of the tournament. Feng had a comfortable 8-2 lead but Neelam found a way to score a takedown and two turns to take an 8-8 criteria lead with just about a minute remaining. But Feng stepped over in a scramble to get a two points and lead 10-8. However, Neelam also exposed Feng and she was awarded two points making her a 10-10 winner. China challenged the call as it may have been after the time expired. On review, it was called no points as the clock did it zero before the Feng was in danger. Neelam is distraught while Feng will wrestle for a bronze medal later

11:41: Defending Asian champion Sara NATAMI (JPN) fell behind against Laylokhon SABIROVA (UZB), 2-2, on criteria with more than a minute remaining but Natami with an exposure and then holds Sabirova's back on the mat to claim a fall and advance to the 57kg quarterfinals.

11:39: Blink and you missed the 10-0 whitewashing by returning bronze medalist and former champion Qi ZHANG (CHN) of Dilnaz SAZANOVA (KGZ) at 62kg. Zhang gets a quick takedown and uses a trap arm to turn her opponent four times.

11:37: Former world and Asian silver medalist Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) gets her campaign at 57kg off to a strong start with a 10-0 over Tancholpon KYBALBEKOVA (KGZ), needing just 1:10 to complete the rout.

11:35: Aziza KELDIBEKOVA (KGZ) gets the ball rolling for the home team with a 12-1 win at 53kg over Pabasara GAMAGE (SRI). After a takedown and two exposures, Keldibekova is close to scoring another tilt when Gamage goes over the back and gets a reversal. But Keldibekova repeats her initial sequence and she's into the quarterfinals.

11:34: Sakibjamal ESBOSYNOVA (UZB) gets the action started on Mat A with a 30-seconc fall of Ya Hsin CHEN (TPE) in their 53kg qualification-round bout.

11:30: Asian Championships third day and we have five more Women's Wrestling weight classes in action. Japan had four finalists on Wednesday. Will it continue it's hot streak?

Kougioumtsidis gives Greece historic world gold as 1st male champion

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Ozaki Avoids Carnage that Hits Japan in Bishkek Semifinals