Narikuni Finally Joins Former Kids Club Teammates as National Champion

Thursday, December 16, 2021 - 16:23 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (December 16) -- Above the bandage covering the two stitches he received on the top of his head, Taishi NARIKUNI now finally wears the metaphorical crown of national champion that had already been won by so many of his former kids wrestling club teammates.

"It took a long time, and I went through a lot," said Narikuni, after winning the freestyle 70kg title on Thursday at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships, the first of two domestic qualifiers for next year's World Championships in Belgrade.

Narikuni, who had to overcome a blip in his career caused by a combination of bad luck and his own carelessness, defeated Hikaru TAKATA 7-3 in the final as champions were crowned in eight weight classes across all three styles on the opening day of the four-day tournament at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym.

Narikuni's victory coincided with that at 97kg by Takashi ISHIGURO, who got his start in the sport alongside Narikuni at the Tokyo-based Gold Kids club run by Narikuni's mother -- a two-time former world champion. Ishiguro picked up his second national title.

In other action, former world cadet and junior champion Yuka KAGAMI reestablished herself as the nation's premier women's heavyweight by defending her 76kg crown, while MASATO SUMI avenged a loss in last year's final at Greco 87kg to take his fifth career gold medal.

Although the daily infection rate is well down in Tokyo, the tournament is being run under strict coronavirus protocols, with no spectators or family allowed, and entries limited to a maximum of 12 per weight class. Each division is completed in one day, and there is no repechage and only one bronze-medal match.

For unannounced reasons, none of Japan's medalists from the Tokyo Olympics are taking part, although 11 of the nation's 12 medalists from the World Championships in Oslo are in attendance.

(From left to right) Taishi Narikuni, Takashi Ishiguro, Hayato Ishiguro and Narikuni's mother, Akiko (sitting). (Photo: Tateo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

The 24-year-old Narikuni was a high-flying national collegiate champion when his career took a dark twist in 2017. He was slapped with a two-year doping ban after a doctor mistakenly prescribed a cold medication containing a banned substance.

Although the ban ended, he did not return to competition in earnest until last May at the Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, which is the second domestic qualifier for the World Championships. He placed third there, giving him a boost of confidence that he could still be competitive at a high level.

Perhaps a bit too much confidence, as Narikuni declared at the time a lofty goal of winning world golds in both freestyle and Greco, akin to making him the "Shohei Ohtani of wrestling," a reference to the Japanese baseball star known for his ability to be both a pitcher and slugger.

Narikuni takes a somewhat unique stance when it comes to training---he barely wrestles. Currently, when he is not at his part-time job at a karaoke parlor, he's a coach at Gold Kids, where he mentors youngsters in tumbling and apparatus as well as wrestling.

Since the Meiji Cup, his workouts consisted solely of weight training, running and light sparring with the kids. He did not participate in live wrestling until 10 days before the Emperor's Cup, including sessions with his pal Ishiguro, who was also a junior high school classmate.

"We practiced together from about a week ago," Narikuni said. "It really rubbed off on me."

Even with the big weight difference between the two, "It was a great workout. It's because of that that I won."

Narikuni said he never feels he has lost any sharpness by lack of live wrestling.

"I've been doing it since I was little," he said. "It's ingrained in my body. And also, I coach kids, and I roll around with them. So my body remembers the moves."

Those moves were first developed in the club started by his mother, who won world titles in 1990 and 1991 under her maiden Akiko IIJIMA. Among the notable alumni of the club are Tokyo Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO, world bronze medalist Toshihiro HASEGAWA, and Ishiguro's younger brother Hayato, a 2018 world junior champion who last year won his first national title at 86kg.

"It was frustrating, I mean, really," Narikuni said of watching those he grew up having such success. "Even Hayato won a title. Other kids I was with at Gold, they're all winning championships, going to the Olympics. To be honest, I felt I was left behind."

For now, Narikuni is catching up and is halfway to getting to the World Championships, although he said he still has a ways to go before he can have success there. In the final, Narikuni saw a 5-1 lead against Takata trimmed to two points by giving up a takedown with a minute to go, although a late takedown off a counter gave him the 7-3 win.

"In terms of execution, I give it a zero," Narikuni said. "I'm happy that it's my first title, but honestly speaking, with this performance I can't beat the world, so the joy is honestly not there."

Narikuni ended the match in actual pain. In the final seconds, he suffered a gash when his head collided with Takata's teeth, and he needed two stitches from the tournament doctor before his post-match press conference.

Asked what he needs to be a world-beater, the Tokyo native replied, "Everything, the mental side, the physical side. I'm really not there."

Takashi Ishiguro won the gold at 97kg. (Photo: Tateo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

Takashi Ishiguro, who won his first national title at 92kg in 2017, picked up his second by overwhelming national collegiate champion Keiwan YOSHIDA 10-0 in the 97kg final.

Ishiguro opened the scoring with a nifty ankle pick, then picked up four points with a double-leg tackle to the back. Two quick rolls after that and the match was ended at 2:34.

For those in the Olympic weights, the tournament is also serving as the qualifier for the Asian Games, to be held in September in Hangzhou, China. That might present a problem for the Japan federation, as it falls during the week after the World Championships, and it's unknown what wrestlers who qualify for both will do.

Ishiguro, who competed at this year's World Championships in Oslo, where he lost in the first round to superstar Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RWF), relishes the chance to prove himself on the continent after placing third at the Asian Championships last April.

"If I can't be competitive in Asia, I can't fight against the world," Ishiguro said. "I want to have the ability to take on Iran and Mongolia."

The other freestyle gold up for grabs on Thursday went to Taiki YAMAMATO, who won his second straight title and fourth overall with a close 3-2 victory over Hiroto NINOMIYA in the 125kg final.

Yamamoto, nursing a 2-0 lead after receiving two activity points, gave up a takedown with just under a minute left to fall behind on criteria, but came right back with a stepout point with :46 left for the victory.

Kagami Yuka Kagami won the gold at 76kg over Nodoka YAMAMOTO. (Tateo Yabuki / Japan Wrestling Federation)

At women's 76kg, Kagami proved golden again by scoring a second-period takedown to notch a 2-2 win in the final over unheralded Nodoka YAMAMOTO.

"I was focused on staying aggressive, and I gave up points from my attack, but I never lost faith and kept up the attack in my style of wrestling to the end, and I think that's what led to this result," Kagami said.

Kagami said it was frustrating to watch the success of the Japanese women at the Tokyo Olympics, where the hosts won four of the six golds, but also motivated her to have similar success at Paris 2024.

"Seeing the Japanese wrestlers do so well invigorated me, but at the same time, I was gritting my teeth to the fact that I was not among them," Kagami said. "I want to definitely appear at the Paris Olympics and, to become the first Japanese in the heaviest [women's] weight to win a gold medal, I will dedicate myself to training from now."

Yamamoto had prevented the latest showdown between Kagami and rival Yasuha MATSUYUKI, who defeated Kagami a little over a month ago at the national collegiate championships. The 18-year-old Yamamoto knocked off Matsuyuki, her senior teammate at Shigakkan University, 2-1 in the semifinals.

The clash between Kagami and Matsuyuki, both former world cadet champions, at the college championships was the fourth meeting in a one-year span as they vie to fill the shoes of retired three-time world medalist Hiroe MINAGAWA.

"Since I had little time to practice after the inter-collegiates, I think this is the best I could do at this point," said Matsuyuki, who has been plagued with a knee injury dating back to July.

Matsuyuki said she may have subconsciously been looking past Yamamoto to a clash with Kagami. "I didn't have it that much in mind, but I might have thought that way unconsciously," she said.

At women's 59kg, 2018 Asian silver medalist Sara NATAMI took advantage of the absence of world silver medalist Akie HANAI and won her second career national title with a 10-0 technical fall over Himeka TOKUHARA.

In Greco-Roman, Sumi turned the tables on his Japan Self-Defense Forces teammate So SAKABE, avenging a loss in last year's final at 87kg by scoring a 5-1 victory in the final.

Put in the par terre first, Sumi took full advantage by powering Sakabe over with a pair of gut wrenches. Taking the bottom position in the second period, Sumi wriggled free of danger to secure the victory.

The title provides some consolation for Sumi, a 2018 Asian silver medalist who failed in two shots to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

"This year was the Tokyo Olympics, and I was sent as the Japan entry to the Olympic qualifiers, but unfortunately I was unable to secure a place, which was a shameful result," Sumi said.

"After that, I came back to Japan and it was very frustrating to watch the Tokyo Olympics. I set a goal to be ready in December for this tournament and it's good that I could win it."

Sakabe advanced to the final with a 4-1 victory over Satoki MUKAI, last year's 82kg champion who won a bronze medal at this year's Asian Championships.

Kodai SAKURABA, who finished eighth at the Oslo World Championships at 77kg, picked up his first national title with a 10-4 victory over collegiate champion Nao KUSAKA.

Kusaka was looking to add to the 72kg gold he won in 2019, which had made him the youngest national Greco champ in history.

At 82kg, Yuya OKAJIMA filled the gap left by Mukai and regained the title he won in 2018 by scoring a pair of takedown-gut wrench combinations in an 8-0 technical fall over Masao TANAKA.

Day 1 Results

Freestyle

70kg (12 entries)
Final - Taishi NARIKUNI df. Hikaru TAKATA, 7-3
3rd Place - Ryosuke KERA df. Ryo YONEZAWA, 3-3
Semifinal - Narikumi df. Yonezawa by TF, 11-0, 5:07
Semifinal - Takata df. Kera, 3-2

97kg (6 entries)
Final - Takashi ISHIGURO df. Keiwan YOSHIDA by TF, 10-0, 2:34
3rd Place - Shohei YAMASAKI df. Yohei SHINADA, 5-0
Semifinal - Ishiguro df. Shinada by TF, 11-0, 1:21
Semifinal - Yoshida df. Yamasaki, 9-7

125kg (10 entries)
Final - Taiki YAMAMATO df. Hiroto NINOMIYA, 3-2
3rd Place - Kai SHUTTO df. Sota YAMAMOTO, 4-2
Semifinal - T. Yamamoto df. Shutto, 3-0
Semifinal - Ninomiya df. S. Yamamoto by TF, 10-0, 1:40

Greco-Roman

77kg (11 entries)
Final - Kodai SAKURABA df. Nao KUSAKA, 10-4
3rd Place - Minto MAEDA df. Shunsuke MIZUGUCHI by TF, 9-0, 2:18
Semifinal - Sakuraba df. Mizuguchi by TF, 10-1, 2:50
Semifinal - Kusaka df. Maeda, 4-1

82kg (12 entries)
Final -Yuya OKAJIMA df. Masao TANAKA by TF, 8-0, 3:36
3rd Place - Yoji KAWAMURA df. Tatsuya FUJII, 3-1
Semifinal - Tanaka df. Kawamura, 5-3
Semifinal - Okajima df. Fujii, 2-2

87kg (11 entries)
Final - Masato SUMI df. So SAKABE, 5-1
3rd Place - Satoki MUKAI df. Ryota NASUKAWA, 5-3
Semifinal - Sumi df. Nasukawa, 8-1
Semifinal - Sakabe df. Mukai, 4-1

Women's Wrestling

59kg (10 entries)
Final - Sara NATAMI df. Himeka TOKUHARA by TF, 11-0, 4:18
3rd Place - Yumeka TANABE df. Yumi KON by TF, 10-0, 5:00
Semifinal - Natami df. Kon by TF, 10-0, 3:17
Semifinal - Tokuhara df. Tanabe, 3-3

76kg (5 entries)
Final - Yuka KAGAMI df. Nodoka YAMAMOTO, 2-2
3rd Place - Miku SAITO df. Yasuha MATSUYUKI by Def.
Semifinal - Yamamoto df. Matsuyuki, 2-1
Semifinal - Kagami df. Saito by TF, 11-0, 1:45

#wrestlebishkek

Badaghimofrad Claims Historic Asian Gold for Qatar

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - 18:37 By Ken Marantz

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 8) -- Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) continued to make history for his adopted homeland, and this time it came at the expense of his real one.

Iranian-born Badaghimofrad gave Qatar its first-ever gold medal at the Asian Championships, coming from behind for a 4-3 victory over Amin HOSSEINI (IRI) in the Greco 82kg final on Wednesday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

“I won a bronze medal at last year's Asian Championships, and this year I'm very happy that I managed to take a bigger step and win a gold medal,” Badaghimofrad said.

On a night when five different countries struck gold to finish up the Greco competition, Alisher GANIEV (UZB) ended a recent run of runner-up finishes with a victory at 60kg, and world and Olympic champion Hadi SARAVI (IRI) won his third straight title and fourth overall at 97kg.

Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ), who had settled for the silver medal the past two years, made it to the top step of the podium at 67kg to give the host nation its fourth gold, and Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) handed Iran another defeat in a final to take the 72kg crown.

Despite going two for seven in gold-medal matches, Iran cruised to the team title by medaling in every weight class for the first time since 1983. The wrestling powerhouse finished with 195 points to outdistance host Kyrgyzstan, which had four champions and compiled 153 points. Uzbekistan, with two gold medalists, was third with 136.

Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) turns Amin HOSSEINI (IRI) during the 82kg final at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Badaghimofrad, who had been a world cadet (U17) silver medalist and world junior (U20) bronze medalist, was competing for Iran when he first appeared at the Asian Championships three years and 15 kilograms ago, placing fifth in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A native of Khuzestan Province in southeast Iran, he changed his allegiance after 2023 and debuted for Qatar in February 2025 at the Tirana Ranking Series, where he could only manage a seventh-place finish. But a month later, he placed third at the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, marking Qatar’s first ever medal in Greco and just its second overall.

Badaghimofrad’s more recent results were not exactly awe-inspiring – an 11th place at the World Championships in Zagreb, then back-to-back seventh places at Ranking Series tournaments in February this year.

And the outlook did not appear much better in Wednesday’s final when Hosseini, the winner of this year’s Tirana Ranking Series tournament, opened the scoring with a gut wrench for a 3-0 lead in the first period.

In the second period, Badaghimofrad got his chance in par terre and, breaking down stiff resistance from Hosseini, managed to roll him over. An Iranian challenge for a potential leg foul was unsuccessful, putting the Qatari up 4-3, which is how it ended.

“I had wrestled my opponent before, so we were both familiar with each other’s styles,” Badaghimofrad said. “Knowing I could apply my move on the ground, I approached the match without any stress. When the referee gave the passivity warning, I was able to execute my move and emerge as the winner.”

Badaghimofrad knows he still has a way to go if he wants to achieve similar success on the bigger global stages.

“My wrestling isn’t perfect yet, and I’m gradually trying to improve it … so I can get thebest result at the World Championships and the Olympics,” he said.

Alisher GANIEV (UZB) defeated Se Ung RI (PRK) in the 60kg final to claim his first-ever Asian title. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ganiev finally got the result he was looking for, escaping from second-place purgatory by avenging a loss in last year’s 60kg final with a victory by fall over world and Olympic bronze medalist Se Ung RI (PRK).

Ganiev went up 2-1 when he stepped over and gained an exposure on Ri’s gut-wrench attempt from par terre. In the second period, he increased the lead with a passivity point and a challenge point, but made the score moot when he pancaked Ri to the mat and held on for a fall at 5:06.

“The plan was not to rush, to wrestle patiently, wait for the right moment in par terre,” Ganiev said. “However, during the match, things changed. I managed to score points [from bottom] in par terre. In the second period, I continued with my approach. We prepared specifically for this opponent.”

Ganiev finished second at the Zagreb Ranking Series in February 2025, and again at this year’s. In between, he lost in last year’s Asian final to Ri and in the final of the World Championships to Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ).

“I had been waiting for a long time,” Ganiev said. “This is my second Asian Championship. In the first one, I finished in second place. Now in 2026 I finally took first place. Today, all the hard work paid off. In the 2025 final, I made mistakes, but this time I corrected them.”

Hadi SARAVI (IRI) defended his Asian title with a 7-1 win over NITESH (IND). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

While a number of Saravi’s teammates faltered at the final hurdle, the two-time Olympic medalist proved to be a rock of stability in claiming the 97kg gold with a solid albeit not overwhelming 7-1 win over NITESH (IND).

“I managed to finish the competition with the gold medal,” Saravi said. “After the World Championships, I set aside some time for recovery to get my body back in shape. The coaches decided to send me to the Asian Championships. I arrived at this competition with only a relative level of readiness, but thankfully I managed to achieve the best result and claim gold.”

Saravi, whose long list of laurels also includes four world medals, reeled off two rolls from par terre in the first period to lead 5-0. After being put on the bottom in the second but never budging, Saravi added a pair of stepouts to beat Nitesh for the third time in as many career meetings and clinch his fourth Asian gold over a seven-year span.

“The final was tougher [than the previous matches] because I’d suffered a knee injury before arriving, which was bothering me a bit and meant I couldn't keep up with my training properly or come to the competition fully prepared,” Saravi said. “Because of that I was a bit unsettled.”

Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) tries to pin Javad REZAEI (IRI) during the 72kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 72kg, Amanbek capped his senior Asian debut with a stunning victory by fall over Javad REZAEI (IRI), which more than avenged a 3-2 loss to the Iranian in the quarterfinals of the Tirana Ranking Series that Rezaei won.

“It’s the first time I’ve taken first place in the 72-kilogram category,” said Amanbek, who moved up from 67kg this year. “It’s been an incredibly emotional day.

“I’d give myself a ten out of ten. I did really well. Everything went exactly as I’d planned. I can give myself a pat on the back.”

The quick succession of moments that led to Amanbek’s victory started with him on the bottom of par terre. When Rezaei tried to force a gut wrench, Amanbek stepped over, scooped Rezaei’s head and held him down for a fall in 1:50.

“I know that Iranian wrestler, we faced each other at a ranking tournament in Albania,” Amanbek said. “I lost there. Today I got my revenge. I was in good spirits. We went out there and stuck to our tactics and our game plan. That’s why we won.”

Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) scores a four-point throw on Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) during the 67kg final. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 67kg, Beishekeev wrapped up a strong Greco outing for the home team by soundly defeating former world bronze medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN) 8-2.

“I can say that this victory means a lot to me,” Beishekeev said of triumphing in front of the home crowd at Zhastyk Arena. “I truly felt the strong support of my people, it gave me strength and motivation. Thanks to that, everything came together today and I became a champion.”

Beishekeev all but put the match away in the first period, when he not only completed a gut wrench from par terre, but added a 4-pointer by lifting Shimizu and dumping him onto this back.

In the second period, Beishekeev gave up a passivity point but nothing from the bottom of par terre, and received a point himself when the Japanese side unsuccessfully challenged for a leg foul. A late stepout by Shimizu only changed the margin of victory.

In the three previous Asian Championships, Beishekeev’s results had been: bronze, silver, silver.

“Behind this success is a lot of hard work,” he said. “I worked patiently, step by step, never forgetting my goal and constantly pushing forward. If we continue working with the same determination, I believe a gold medal at the World Championships is also possible. “

Iran Iran won the team title in Greco-Roman at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Entire Iranian team comes away with medals

In the bronze-medal matches, Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) and Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) both picked up their first major senior medals and assured that nobody on the Iranian Greco team would be leaving Bishkek empty-handed.

Ahmadi Vafa, who won world titles at each of the three age-group levels from 2022 to 2024, secured a bronze medal at 60kg with a 10-0 rout of Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ).

After a 4-point throw from par terre, Ahmadi Vafa tossed Kamaliyev again, although he didn’t get the necessary exposure and it was ruled a 2-pointer. But the Iranian continued the move and forced Kamaliyev to his back for 2 more to end it at 1:49.

The other bronze at 60kg went to Yu SHIOTANI (JPN), who was back on the Asian scene for the first time since winning the 55kg gold in 2022, the same year he won a world bronze.

Shiotani hit a 4-point throw from par terre, good enough for a 5-1 win over two-time former Asian U23 champion Haodong TAN (CHN).

At 67kg, Mohsen Nezhad, a 2025 world U23 bronze medalist, gained his bronze without a fight, as he received a victory by default from world silver medalist Hanjae CHUNG (KOR), who had suffered an elbow injury in his quarterfinal loss to Beishekeev on Tuesday.

Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND) captured his second career 67kg bronze when he fought back from behind three times to eventually come away with a 6-5 win over Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB).

A drag-by takedown in the final 30 seconds finally put Sahrawat over the top, after he had trailed 1-0, 3-2 and 5-3 during the match.

At 72kg, Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) saw his bid for a place in wrestling history harshly ended by Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB), who needed less than a minute to uncork a pair of 4-point throws in a 9-0 romp.

Narikuni, the 2022 champion at Freestyle 70kg, was looking to join the select group of wrestlers with Asian medals in both styles – a group that compatriot Kaisei TANABE (JPN) joined the previous day by taking a bronze at 63kg.

Ironically, last December, Narikuni had pipped Tanabe in each’s bid to become the first wrestler in 52 years to complete the Freestyle-Greco double at the All-Japan Championships. Narikuni did it by also winning the Freestyle 70kg title, while Tanabe fell short by finishing third at 65kg.

Narikuni will be returning to the Bishkek mat on Friday for the Freestyle 70kg qualification rounds as he attempts to bounce back from his Greco disappointment. Narikuni also won the world gold in Freestyle in 2022, but his attempt to repeat that feat in Greco last year in Zagreb ended in the first round.

Dongyu LI (CHN) took the other bronze at 72kg on Wednesday with a somewhat odd victory by fall over Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ).

After breaking out to a 5-0 lead with two rolls from par terre, Li secured double underhooks and pancaked Ismailov to his back for 4 points.

Having achieved a win by technical superiority, Li stood up and thrust his fists in the air in triumph, only to notice that Ismailov was still lying on his back. Li then hopped on top of his prone opponent for an easy fall in 2:40.

At 82kg, Kakabay KAKABAYEV (TKM) became the third wrestler from Turkmenistan to make it to a bronze-medal match in Greco and have a chance to become the country’s first medalist since 2018, and the third to come up short.

Kakabayev never really had a chance against PRINCE (IND), who reeled off four rolls in a row from par terre en route to a 10-1 victory. That gave Prince a senior Asian bronze a year after winning one on the U20 level.

The other 82kg match saw veteran and former Asian champion Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) earn his fourth straight Asian medal and second straight bronze with a 5-3 victory over Rui LIU (CHN).

Magomadov, the 2023 champion at 72kg and a bronze medalist last year at 77kg, hit a 4-point throw from par terre in the first period, then held on after giving up a 2-point penalty in the second.

At 97kg, Zagreb Ranking Series silver medalist Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ), the 2024 world U20 champion at 82kg, never gave Minho LEE (KOR) a chance, spinning behind for a takedown then chalking up a combination of exposures and rolls for a 9-0 victory in 1:27.

Zegang WANG (CHN) was equally dominant in taking the other 97kg bronze with an 11-1 victory over Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) in his Asian debut.

Day 3 Results

Greco-Roman

60kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Alisher GANIEV (UZB) df. Se Ung RI (PRK) by Fall, 5:06 (6-1)

BRONZE: Yu SHIOTANI (JPN) df. Haodong TAN (CHN), 5-1
BRONZE: Ali AHMADI VAFA (IRI) df. Yerbol KAMALIYEV (KAZ) by TS, 10-0, 1:49

67kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ) df. Kensuke SHIMIZU (JPN), 8-2

BRONZE: Ahmadreza MOHSEN NEZHAD (IRI) df. Hanjae CHUNG (KOR) by Inj. Def.
BRONZE: Sachin SAHRAWAT (IND) df. Abdumalik AMINOV (UZB), 6-5

72kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Almatbek AMANBEK (KAZ) df. Javad REZAEI (IRI) by Fall, 1:50 (2-1)

BRONZE: Dongyu LI (CHN) df. Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) by Fall, 2:40 (9-0)
BRONZE: Shakhzod KUCHKOROV (UZB) df. Taishi NARIKUNI (JPN) by TS, 9-0, :48

82kg (10 entries)
GOLD: Shahin BADAGHIMOFRAD (QAT) df. Amin HOSSEINI (IRI), 4-3

BRONZE: Ibragim MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Rui LIU (CHN), 5-3
BRONZE: PRINCE (IND) df. Kakabay KAKABAYEV (TKM) by TS, 10-1, 2:06

97kg (11 entries)
GOLD: Hadi SARAVI (IRI) df. NITESH (IND), 7-1

BRONZE: Islam YEVLOYEV (KAZ) df. Minho LEE (KOR) by TS, 9-0, 1:27
BRONZE: Zegang WANG (CHN) df. Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) by TS, 11-1, 4:11

Women’s Wrestling

50kg (11 entries)
SF 1: Son Hyang KIM (PRK) df. Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB), 12-8
SF 2: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) df. Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ) by TS, 8-0, 2:00

55kg (8 entries)
SF 1: Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) df. Ariunzaya ODONCHIMEG (MGL) by TS, 10-0, 1:33
SF 2: Yuxuan LI (CHN) df. Hansika LAMBA (IND) by TS, 11-1, 5:54

59kg (8 entries)
SF 1: Mengyu XIE (CHN) df. NEHA (IND), 12-5
SF 2: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) df. Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB) by TS, 10-0, 4:00

68kg (10 entries)
SF 1: Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Zelu LI (CHN), 1-1
SF 2: Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) df. Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL), 7-0

76kg (9 entries)
SF 1: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) df. Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) by TS, 11-0, 1:03
SF 2: Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) df. Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ), 7-2

Narikuni Finally Joins Former Kids Club Teammates as National Champion

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Badaghimofrad Claims Historic Asian Gold for Qatar