Tasmuradov Puts Aside Pain, Korean Opponent to Chalk up 5th Asian Gold

Tuesday, February 18, 2020 - 18:36 By Ken Marantz

NEW DELHI (Feb. 18)---How tough is Olympic bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB)? He just won a fifth gold medal at the Asian Championships two weeks after breaking a rib.

“It’s still healing,” Tasmuradov said after demolishing SONG Jinseub (KOR) in the Greco-Roman 63kg final on the opening day of this year’s continental tournament Tuesday in New Delhi. “I wanted to go for a fall so that I wouldn’t have to do the par terre.”

In other finals, Kumar SUNIL (IND) gave the host nation its first Asian Greco-Roman gold in 27 years, while a pair of recent world junior champions gave Iran victories in two of the three other gold-medal matches.

In regaining the Asian crown he last won in 2018, Tasmuradov wasn’t able to secure a fall, but got the next best thing, scoring a 9-0 technical fall in 1:33 that included a big 4-point lift and gave him an eighth career Asian medal overall.

Tasmuradov was back at his regular weight at 63kg , where he said he felt more “comfortable,” after qualifying for this year’s Tokyo Olympics at 60kg by placing fifth at last year’s World Championships in Nur-Sultan.

The 2018 world silver medalist said missing out on a medal in Nur-Sultan was irrelevant, given that he achieved what he had set out to do.

“I planned to go and just qualify for Tokyo,” he said. “I didn’t aim to take a medal, because I’m not a young wrestler. So I went to just qualify and I did it.”

Asked to comment on earning his fifth Asian gold in the Indian capital, site of his first title in 2013 with a last-second win over Abdol PAPI (IRI), he replied, “I don’t feel anything,” he said. “My mind is just on the Tokyo Olympics.”

Tasmuradov lost a shot at winning his fifth title last May in Xi’an, China, when he suffered a severe back injury and had to default in the final to TUO Erbatu (CHN). The fact that he continued to wrestle until the pain became so intense he had to be helped off the mat showed the tenacity that has made him so successful – and allows him to shrug off a mere broken rib.

Kumar SUNIL (IND) tosses Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ) in the 87kg gold-medal match. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Meanwhile, Sunil, a silver medalist at Xi’an 2019, showed an effective combination of stamina and power in handily defeating Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ) 5-0 in the 87kg final.

That gave India its first Greco gold since Yadav POPPU (IND) won at 48kg in 1993 in Hiroshima, a drought of which Sunil was unaware until told about it just before the final.

“I didn’t know about the record,” he said. “India had not the gold medal in 27 years. I got to know about it only before the final and it motivated me a lot.”

In the final, Sunil gained a passivity point and converted the par terre advantage into a 3-0 lead with a roll in the first period. In the second, he kept the pressure on and forced two stepouts to secure the victory.

“I have wrestled him in the junior category before,” Sunil said of Salidinov.. “So I was confident of beating him again. He is not strong in the upper body. So it was great to win the final.”

For Sunil, who finished second at the Matteo Pellicone ranking event in January, the bigger accomplishment came in the semifinals in the afternoon session, when he came back from an 8-1 deficit to defeat Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ) 12-8 – just as he did in the 2019 semifinals.

“The semifinal was the toughest bout for me,” Sunil said. “I was trailing against him at the last Asian Championships as well, but I beat him. Now I beat him here, but this win is sweeter because I was trailing 1-8 here.”

Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) cruised past Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) in the 55kg finals with an 8-0 victory. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

In the 55kg final, 2018 world junior champion Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) rolled to an 8-0 technical fall over Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB), just hours after he nearly fainted from exhaustion at the conclusion of a wild semifinal victory.

The team doctor said Naserpour suffered from low blood sugar after rallying from 7-1 down to beat Arjun HALAKURKI (IND) 7-7 in the semifinals. But after ingesting electrolytes from sports drinks, eating lunch and resting, Naserpour was able to recover in time for the final.

Naserpour used counter wrestling to score takedowns in both periods. After the second, he put together two gut-wrench rolls to end the match at 4:16.

“In the final, my body felt very good,” Naserpour said. “I trained very hard for six months and I’m happy to win the gold.”

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) defeated 2018 world bronze medalist KIM Minseok (KOR) 9-0 in the 130kg gold medal match. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI), also a world junior champion in 2018, kept the 130kg title in Iranian hands for the fifth consecutive year after overwhelming 2018 world bronze medalist KIM Minseok (KOR) by 9-0 technical fall.

Mirzazedeh put together three rolls from the par terre position, then ended the match at 2:02 with a snap-down takedown.

Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) prevented a trifecta of Iranian golds when he captured the 77kg tile with a 10-1 technical fall of world military champion Pejman POSHTAM (IRI).

Shadukayev, a bronze medalist at Xi’an 2019, moved to the top step of the podium when a takedown gave him the decisive points to end the match with 10 seconds left in the first period.

“Last year, I won the bronze medal, so I was sad,” Shadukayev said. “Now, I won the gold medal, so I’m very happy. It’s a big thing for me.”

In the bronze-medal matches, Shadukayev’s brother Mansur gave the family more hardware when he defeated Arata SONODA (JPN) by 9-1 technical fall at 130kg, one of three bronzes won by Kazakhstan.

Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) finished third for the second year in a row at 55kg, while Kustubayev shook off his loss to Sunil to take home a bronze at 87kg. Halakurki won the other bronze at 55kg.

Iraq earned the 14th Asian medal in its history and first since 2018 when Hussein ALBIDHAN (IRQ) defeated Sultan Ali EID (JOR) by 12-4 technical fall at 77kg. Eid was aiming to become just the fourth Jordanian to win an Asian medal.

Kyrgyzstan captured a pair of bronzes from Renat ILIAZ UULU (KGZ) at 77kg and Roman KIM (KGZ) at 130 kg, while the 63kg bronzes went to Mubinjon AKHMEDOV (TJK) and world U-23 champion Meysam DALKHANI (IRI).

In an unusual twist, there was only one bronze at 87kg. Losing semifinalist Behrooz HEDAYAT (IRI) suffered a bad ankle sprain and could not appear in the consolation match, but there was no opponent to face anyway as both of the other wrestlers in the repechage bracket defaulted due to injury.

Day 1 Finals

Greco-Roman

55kg (9 entries)
GOLD - Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI) df. Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB) by TF, 8-0, 4:16
BRONZE – Arjun HALAKURKI (IND) df. WON Donghyeok (KOR), 7-4
BRONZE – Khorlan ZHAKANSHA (KAZ) df. Sahatsawat PHUANGKAEO (THA) by TF, 10-1, 1:46

63kg (10 entries)
GOLD - Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. SONG Jinseub (KOR) by TF, 9-0, 1:33
BRONZE – Mubinjon AKHMEDOV (TJK) df. Mohammad ALAJMI (KUW) by Fall, 1:50 (7-2)
BRONZE – Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) df. Yernur FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ), 2-0

77kg (13 entries)
GOLD - Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) df. Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) by TF, 10-1, 2:50
BRONZE – Hussein ALBIDHAN (IRQ) df. Sultan Ali EID (JOR) by TF, 12-4, 5:10
BRONZE – Renat ILIAZ UULU (KGZ) df. Bekhzod UMAROV (UZB), 5-0

87kg (9 entries)
GOLD - Kumar SUNIL (IND) df. Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ), 5-0
BRONZE – Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ) df. Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN), 3-1
(Only one bronze due to injury defaults)

130kg (8 entries)
GOLD - Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. KIM Minseok (KOR) by TF, 9-0, 2:02
BRONZE – Roman KIM (KGZ) df. Singh MEHAR (IND), 3-2
BRONZE – Mansur SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) df. Arata SONODA (JPN) by TF, 9-1, 4:10

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships: Targeted Tazhudinov gets job done; Iran grabs 3 golds

Thursday, April 11, 2024 - 17:54 By Ken Marantz

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 11) -- Last year, Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) burst into the spotlight by knocking off a couple of Olympic champions en route to a world gold. Now he has to deal with the constant glare of attention and having a target on his back.

Tazhudinov may not have been at his dominant best, but he got the job done in defeating Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) 4-2 in the freestyle 97kg final at the Asian Championships in Bishkek on Thursday to defend his title and continue a streak of tournament triumphs.

"The difference is that back then no one knew who I was," the 21-year-old Tazhudinov said of winning the Asian title in 2023. "Some would not take me seriously, some would think that I am a weak opponent, unlike now, everyone prepares to wrestle me and wants to win. So, now it’s tough."

Iran won three of the five freestyle golds at stake on the opening day at Bishkek Arena, with former world champion Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) completing a three-peat at 65kg, and world medalists Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) and Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) picking up their first Asian titles at 70kg and 79kg, respectively.

The other title went to Kento YUMIYA (JPN), who pulled off a dramatic last-second victory in the 57kg final to win the gold in just his second international tournament on the senior level. It also gave Japan its first title in the lightest weight class since 2017.

Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) defends an attack from Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ) during the 97kg final at the Asian Championships final in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Tazhudinov has firmly established himself as a wrestler to watch heading into the Paris Olympics, with his victory Thursday giving him six straight tournament titles dating back to last year's Asian Championships in Astana.

That streak of course includes his gold-medal run at the World Championships in September in Belgrade, where he pulled off shockingly one-sided victories in succession over superstars Kyle SNYDER (USA) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) en route to the gold.

At the same time, Aitmukhan all but went unnoticed as he captured the gold in the non-Olympic weight of 92kg as a teenager. Moving up to 97kg this year, he faced Tazhudinov for the first time last month at the Yasar Dogu tournament in Antalya, Turkey, and while he lost that encounter by fall while trailing 9-3, he gave a better accounting of himself in Bishkek.

In the final, Aitmukhan gave up an activity point but used a nice counter to score a stepout and take a 1-1 lead into the second period. Tazhunidov came back with a takedown and a stepout, although he seemed to reaggravate an elbow injury in the process.

"After Turkey I had my elbow injured," Tazhunidov said. "And till now I haven’t fully recovered. Every time I hit it or touch it, it hurts."

Aitmukhan scored a late stepout, but was unable to get through Tazhunidov's defenses to cut the gap any further.

"I can say that the match was tough," Tazhudinov said. "We know each other’s wrestling style now. No one wanted to take a risk. That’s why it wasn’t such a high-scoring match."

Tazhunidov was last defeated in February 2023 at the Alexandria Ranking Series tournament. After that, he triumphed at the Asian Championships, Bishkek Ranking Series, World Championships and Asian Games in 2023, and at Yasar Dogu this year.

"I am glad that I could make all the people close to me happy, all those who support me all the time," Tazhudinov said.

Looking ahead, he said, "There isn’t any specific plan for the Olympics yet. We are going to sit and talk with the coach, and he will tell us what to do."

Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) won his third consecutive Asian Championships gold at 65kg after beating Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) in the final on Thursday. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

At 65kg, Amouzad repeated his victory from last year's final over Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL), while also avenging a loss to the Mongolian for the gold at the Asian Games last October.

Amouzad scored a first-period takedown off an underhook, then gave up an activity point in the second period to account for all of the scoring in a 2-1 victory. The combatants spent the majority of the match locked up in a mutual over-underhook position.

Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) won his first Asian Championships after a thrilling win in the 70kg final against Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Yazdani, a two-time world silver medalist, followed by rallying to a wild 13-9 victory in the 70kg final over world U23 silver medalist Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), who added the silver to the bronze he won a year ago.

Both wrestlers had 4-point moves in the first period, with Yazdani scoring his late to take a 6-5 lead into the second. Aoyagi went ahead 9-6 with a backdoor takedown and a head-between-the-thighs roll, only to see the Iranian take the lead on criteria with 20 seconds left with a stepout and takedown. Yazdani countered a last-ditch, body lock lift attempt by Aoyagi for a final 4-pointer.

"It was a close match," Yazdani said. "The Japanese wrestler was very good, and I wish him all the best. He was leading 9-7, but I tried to be focused on the match and tried to go for a comeback because I didn’t want to lose."

While Yazdani already has two world silver medals, it marked his first appearance at a senior Asian Championships, which made the victory more special.

"It was my first gold medal, and I am very happy about it," he said. "At the outset, I was behind... and I was thinking that it would be another silver medal for me. But suddenly, everything changed. I said to myself that I should try more."

Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) won the 79kg gold medal after a technical superiority win over Byambadorj ENKHBAYAR (MGL) in the final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In the only match of the medal round that did not go the distance, Nokhodi cruised to a 12-2 technical fall over Byambadorj ENKHBAYAR (MGL) in the 79kg final, giving him a gold to go with a bronze from his only previous appearance in 2019.

Nokhodi, winner of the Zagreb Open in January, chalked up three takedowns in succession, following the third one with a 2-point exposure. But as he went for a gut wrench that would have ended the match, Enkhbayar stopped it to gain two points himself to make it 8-2 and keep his hopes alive.

It all ended 27 seconds into the second period when Nokhodi caught the Mongolian in a cradle for a takedown and exposure.

"It is the first time that I have achieved the gold medal at the senior Asian Championships, but I will try my best to obtain the gold medal in the World Championships this year," said Nokhodi, the world bronze medalist last year after taking silvers in 2021 and 2022.

Nokhodi had to survive a close call in his opening match, when he squandered a five-point lead against Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) before holding on for a 5-4 victory.

"My first match was against a Bahraini wrestler, and I was leading 5-0," Nokhodi recalled. "With just one minute remaining, I suddenly looked at the scoreboard and noticed that the time had been stopped for a while.

"It caused me to lose concentration and give up two points. The match continued, but my attention was again on the scoreboard, so I lost two more points in par terre position but finally won the match 5-4."

Asked why he continues to compete in the non-Olympic weight, Nokhodi replied, "The situation of my body weight caused me not to try my luck for the Olympics this year. Because it was not easy to go back to 74 kilos and my weight was not enough to wrestle at 86 kilos. Therefore, I prefer to stay at 79 kilos this year."

Kento YUMIYA (JPN) celebrates after scoring a stepout to win 5-4 in the 57kg final against UDIT (IND). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 57kg, Yumiya scored a stepout in the final second to defeat UDIT (IND) 5-4 in a clash of young, up-and-coming wrestlers.

"I don't remember the last 10 seconds," Yumiya said with a laugh. "I was too desperate and so excited, I had no choice but to just do it and I gave it everything I had."

Yumiya was trailing 4-4 on criteria with the clock ticking down when he shot in on a single leg, got the leg in the air and bulled his way out of the ring with :01 left to cap an entertaining, non-stop final.

In the first period, Yumiya received an activity point, but Udit scored two with an inner leg counter roll just before the buzzer for a 2-1 lead. Udit added a point with a steoput off a scramble, but Yumiya replied with a 2-point exposure during a spin behind. An unsuccessful challenge to that call put the Japanese up 4-3.

But Udit, who made a habit of coming from behind to win during the day, tied the match to go ahead on criteria with a stepout that Yumiya did a good job of preventing from being a takedown. That set up the last-second heroics by the Japanese.

"It was a very tight match and at the end, it was tough, but the desire to not lose and never give up led to the victory," said Yumiya, who made his international senior debut this year in Antalya, where he placed eighth.

As a member of the powerhouse Nippon Sports Science University team, the 20-year-old Yumiya trains with Rei HIGUCHI (JPN), the 2016 Olympic silver medalist whose silver medal at the World Championships clinched his place at the Paris Olympics. Higuchi, as a NSSU alumnus, practices with the group.

"I train with him regularly and I'm in an environment with a very high level," Yumiya said. "Every day I try to challenge him and I think [gold medal] was the result."

Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) was one of the two Kyrgyzstan wrestler to win bronze medal on the first day of the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Anodnov)

Host country lands 2 bronzes

In bronze-medal matches, Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) and Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ) won the first medals of the tournament for the host country, while Kum Hyok KIM (PRK) gave the DPR Korea its first freestyle medal since 2018 in its return after a five-year absence.

Zholdoshbekov picked up his fifth career Asian medal -- four bronzes and a 2020 gold -- when he scored two takedowns in the final minute to edge Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB) 6-4 at 65kg.

Osmonov, who already has a world bronze from 2021, added a continental one with a 3-3 victory on criteria over Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK) at 70kg. Akhmedov scored a stepout and takedown in the first period, and Osmonov repeated the process in the second, making him the winner on the last-point criteria.

Kim put the DPR Korea onto the medal table by defeating Ebrahim KHARI (IRI) 7-4 at 57kg, which denied Iran a medal in all five weight classes.

Leading 3-2, Kim caught Khari napping on a restart and easily scored a takedown with a quick shot on the whistle. He added an exposure but found himself in some danger when Khari stuffed a roll attempt for two points of his own and a chance for a fall. But Kim quickly scrambled off his back and held on for the win.

Two-time former champion Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) added a bronze when he rolled to a 7-0 victory over Hibiki ITO (JPN) at 97kg. Mohammadian scored a 4-point takedown and a stepout in the first period, then added a takedown in the second.

India came away with two bronzes, as VICKY (IND) scored four takedowns in a 10-1 rout of Andrey ARONOV (KGZ) at 97kg to deny Kyrgyzstan a third medal, while ABHIMANYOU (IND) scored all of his points in the second period to pull out a 6-5 victory over Begijon KULDASHEV (UZB) at 70kg.

Masanosuke ONO (JPN) will take home the other bronze at 65kg, after riding the five points he scored in the first minute of his bout with ROHIT (IND) to a 5-3 victory.

Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) captured the other 57kg bronze, scoring three takedowns in a 7-2 win over Weiyu LI (CHN).

At 79kg, Asomiddin KHASANOV (UZB) spotted Azamat OMURZHANOV (KAZ) a six-point lead before storming back for a 9-6 victory, while Saipudinov crushed Magomet EVLOEV (TJK) 10-2.

Day 1 Results

Freestyle

57kg (15 entries)
GOLD: Kento YUMIYA (JPN) df. UDIT (IND), 5-4

BRONZE: Meirambek KARTBAY (KAZ) df. Weiyu LI (CHN), 7-2
BRONZE: Kum Hyok KIM (PRK) df. Ebrahim KHARI (IRI), 7-4

65kg (16 entries)
GOLD: Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) df. Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL), 2-1

BRONZE: Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) df. Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB), 6-4
BRONZE: Masanosuke ONO (JPN) df. ROHIT (IND), 5-3

70kg (12 entries)
GOLD: Amirmohammad YAZDANI (IRI) df. Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN), 13-9

BRONZE: Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ) df. Mustafo AKHMEDOV (TJK), 3-3
BRONZE: ABHIMANYOU (IND) df. Begijon KULDASHEV (UZB), 6-5

79kg (13 entries)
GOLD: Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) df. Byambadorj ENKHBAYAR (MGL) by TF, 12-2, 3:27

BRONZE: Khidir SAIPUDINOV (BRN) df. Magomet EVLOEV (TJK), 10-2
BRONZE: Asomiddin KHASANOV (UZB) df. Azamat OMURZHANOV (KAZ), 9-6

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) df. Rizabek AITMUKHAN (KAZ), 4-2

BRONZE: Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) df. Hibiki ITO (JPN), 7-0
BRONZE: VICKY (IND) df. Andrey ARONOV (KGZ), 10-1

Tasmuradov Puts Aside Pain, Korean Opponent to Chalk up 5th Asian Gold

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Asian Championships: Targeted Tazhudinov gets job done; Iran grabs 3 golds