#WrestleUlaanbaatar

Live Blog: Asian Championships day four

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (April 22) -- The Asian Championships enters day four and women's wrestling continues with more exciting matchups. The biggest of them is the potential 62kg final between two-time world champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) and Nonoka OZAKI (JPN).

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN), Anshu MALIK (IND) and Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) will also be in action.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

13:54: Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) scores all of her points in the first period of her 53kg semifinal against Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ) and holds on for a 3-0 victory in the last match of the morning session. That puts the Mongolian into the final against Fujinami -- who beat her by technical fall in the group stage, although she took the match into the second period.

13:42: Anshu MALIK (IND) is stepping on the mat for the first time since the silver medal at Worlds in Oslo and she looks dominant. She begins her semifinal against Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) with four points and then she builds on it to win 11-0. She will face 55kg world champion Sakurai who goes past Akhmedov 12-2 and also had a four-point tackle in her win.

13:36: Can anyone or anything stop Fujinami. The freshman at Nippon Sports Science University, with her father and coach in her corner, rolled into the final with a 10-0 technical fall over Keunimjaeva. Fujinami scored the final six points with three exposures using a cross-face with legs. Her opponent in the final will be decided in the final match of the session

13:35: Ozaki and Tynybekova have set up a rematch of the 2021 world opening round. Ozaki will be well-rested for the final; she needed just 40 seconds to get a takedown and rip off four straight lace locks in a 10-0 technical fall over Manisha. Tynybekova took 2:24 to record a fall over Esinbaeva. 

13:15: Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) thrilled the home crowd when, while trailing, she slammed Swati SHINDE (IND) to the mat and clamped down for a fall to finish second in 53kg Group B. That puts her into the semifinals against Group B winner Eshimova. In the other semifinal, Fujinami will face Keunimjaeva.

13:15: Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) and Sumire NIIKURA (JPN) are on Mat B wrestling for a gold medal at 72kg. Bakbergenova will win the gold if she wins the match here. But she is trailing 1-0 at the break. In the second period, she is once again put on the clock but she gets a four-point throw. Niikura with a takedown to make it 4-4 but the Kazak wins on criteria.

13:03: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) is wrestling Dargis ABEN (KAZ) for the gold medal at 65kg. He gets exposure and then in the same action gets a leg lace going. She beats Aben 10-0 to win the gold medal at 65kg

12:55: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) is wrestling Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) to confirm the top spot in Group B at 57kg. She begins with a stepout and then adds a takedown to lead 3-0 at the break

12:43: Fujinami was at her dominant best in swiftly putting away Swati SHINDE (IND) 10-0 in 43 seconds to clinch the top spot in 53kg Group A. The Japanese star got a takedown, then twisted Shinde like a pretzel twice for a 6-0 lead, then a pair of lace locks ended the proceedings.

12:42: RADHIKA (IND) was in some trouble early but then secures the fall over Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB) at 65kg. This gives her a chance to return and still be in silver medal contention

12:36: In one of the surprises of the session, unheralded Hyungyoung OH (KOR) jumped out to an 8-0 lead against veteran Eshimova in their 53kg Group B match, only to see the 34-year-old Kazakh storm back with nine points in the final minute. The winning points came on a gut wrench with 8 seconds on the clock. 

12:28: Sumire NIIKURA (JPN) may not have been ready for that. Davaanasan ENKHAMAR (MGL) came back every time Niikura scored a takedown with stepout added with cautions to make it 6-6. But she was not able to break the criteria.

12:22: Anshu MALIK (IND) notches up another 10-0 win. She gut wrenches Danielle LIM (SGP) at 57kg. She confirms her spot in the semifinals as the topper of the group

12:21: Dariga ABEN (KAZ) keeps her gold medal hopes alive as she wins 10-0 against Ariukhan JUMABAEVA (UZB). All she needs to do is beat world silver medalist Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN)

12:20: Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) gets the cradle against Nilafur RAIMOVA (KAZ) and secures the fall as well at 57kg.

12:11: Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) wins her Round 2 bout against Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) 13-2 which included a big four-pointer from the Kazak wrestler

12:10: Mira MORIKAWA (JPN) was looking for a pin leading 6-0 but RADHIKA (IND) manages to survive. Morikawa begins the second period with a takedown which was an attempted throw from Radhika. She finishes off with another takedown to win 10-0

12:04: In a match that will likely decide who avoids Fujinami in the semifinals, veteran Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ) got the second of the two passivity points awarded, giving her a 1-1 victory on criteria over Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB ). Keunimjaeva might be bound for a third straight Asian bronze medal. 

12:01: Super-teen and world champion Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) needed a little time to break down the defenses of Khulan BATKHUYAG (MGL) in her opening group match at 53kg, but capped a 10-0 technical fall in 3:24 with a 4-point tackle to the back. The weight class has six entries, and Fujinami is in Group A of the two groups. 

11:55: At 57kg, Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) begins with a 10-0 win over Hyungjoo KIM (KOR) and on Mat A, world silver medalist Anshu MALIK (IND) beats Shokhida AKHMEDOVA (UZB) 10-0

11:50: The 62kg division has eight entries, so it is in the usual knockout format. In the semifinals, Tynybekova will face Nabira ESENBAEVA (UZB ), whom she beat by TF at the 2019 Asian Championships in Xi'an. Ozaki will next face Manisha MANISHA (IND)

11:45: Nonoka OZAKI (JPN), aiming to avenge her loss in the 2021 world final to Tynybekova, followed her on Mat A with a quick-fire 10-0 technical fall over Hanbit LEE (KOR). Time of victory: 28 seconds. 

11:40: World silver medalist Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) is wrestling Davaanasan ENKH-AMAR (MGL). She gives up a point for passivity and gets one as well. But Ekhamar scores a takedown to lead 3-1. Bakbergenova counters with a takedown as well. It's 3-3 Kazakhstan lead and she hangs on to it.

11:35: World champion and Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) launched her campaign for a fifth Asian title with a steady 7-3 over a tough Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN (MGL), a fifth-place finisher at the Tokyo Olympics.

11:30: We're all set for the start of Day 4 of the Asian Championships by finishing up the women's competition at 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg, 72kg. Mat C will be in the early spotlight, with Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), Sumire NIIKURA (JPN), Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN) and Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) up in succession from the second match. 

#BeachWrestling, #BeachWrestlingWorldSeries

With Dakar 2026 Approaching, UWW Ramps Up Beach Wrestling in Africa

By Vinay Siwach

CASABLANCA, Morocco (July 25) -- With Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games less than 500 days away, United World Wrestling is committed to reinforcing wrestling's presence on the African continent.

As a result, for the first time an African city will host the Beach Wrestling World Series. Casablanca, Morocco will see the third leg of the Beach Wrestling World Series from September 6-7, 2025, at the picturesque Ain Diab beach.

There is more in store for Africa. The final of the Beach Wrestling World Series will be held in Alexandria, Egypt on October 18 and 19, 2025.

UWW is calling for participants. REGISTER HERE!

Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

The World Series participants will be provided with top-class facilities including five-star hotel boarding, food in hotels and transportation to the competition venue. The conditions will therefore be exceptional for a Beach Wrestling event.

Prior to the World Series, the African Championships in U15, U17 and U20 age-groups will also be held in the same venue on September 4 and 5. All wrestlers who are 18 years or older from the African Championships can take part in the World Series as well.

This is not the first time UWW has stepped up its commitment to Beach Wrestling. Along with UWW Africa, UWW provided technical assistance to African wrestlers last year and has now decided to continue that for the U15 and U17 groups.

UWW reminds all countries that the participation in these tournaments is important as the same wrestlers can be considered with priority for the Youth Olympic Games while allotting the decided quotas for Dakar 2026.

UWW's vision is to develop the younger groups who will be part of the Youth Olympics in Dakar. And it was a step in that direction to start U15 competitions in Beach Wrestling from 2025.

Irina RINGACI (MDA)World champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) competes in Beach Wrestling in Porec, Croatia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

One of the outcomes of its continued efforts was the participation numbers in the U17 Pan-Am Beach Wrestling Championships in Rio de Janeiro and the U17 Asian Beach Wrestling Championships in Vietnam this year.

The local organizing committee in Rio had to add one more ring to accommodate the participants during the event. At the Asian Championships, India, China, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and other nations participated with full teams.

Similarly, the wrestlers are encouraged to participate in the U17 and U20 World Beach Wrestling Championships in Katerini-Pieria, Greece on September 25 and 26.

Check out beachwrestling.org for all Beach Wrestling News!

UWW's decisions underscore its deep commitment to uplifting and expanding the sport of wrestling across Africa, particularly with the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on the horizon.

For any queries, wrestlers, NFs or organizers can contact -- sports@uww.org.