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Asian Championship Preview

Monday, February 17, 2020 - 14:36 By Ken Marantz

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NEW DELHI, India (February 17) --- World champions Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), Risako KAWAI (JPN) and Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) head the list of entries for the upcoming Asian Championships, which unfortunately found it was not immune from the effects of the novel coronovirus that has struck mainly China.

China joined the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Turkmenistan as nations that will be unable to participate in the tournament, to be held Feb. 18-23 in New Delhi, due to circumstances stemming from the outbreak. There have been no reports of any wrestlers from any of the countries contracting the illness.

"The wrestlers are disappointed for sure, but I think they are fine now," a Chinese federation spokesperson said by email. "They will prepare for the future event."

The loss of Chinese entries is a big blow to the tournament, particularly in the women's competition. World silver medalist RONG Ningning was among four reigning or past Asian women's champions who had prepared to enter the tournament that also provides valuable UWW ranking points towards earning a seed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics can be gained.  

For that reason, Japan is sending all six wrestlers who had secured berths at Tokyo 2020 by winning medals or finishing fifth at the 2019 World Championships last September in Nur-Sultan. Among the major showdowns that will have to put on hold for now is a rematch of Kawai's victory over Rong in the world 57kg final. 

While team withdrawals, combined with the decision of some wrestlers to focus on the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament to be held next month, has thinned the field somewhat, there will still be a generous amount of talent on display -- there will be 16 medalists overall from Nur-Sultan in action at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. 

A win for Risako KAWAI (JPN) at 57kg would move her ahead of Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) for the world's No. 1 ranking. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Kawai, who has not lost to a non-Japanese opponent since falling to PUREVDORJ Okhon (MGL) at the 2018 Asian Games, will be aiming for her third Asian gold and first since 2017. A victory will also propel her over recently crowned African champion Odunayo ADEKUOROYE (NGR) to the top of the UWW rankings as she bids to repeat her Rio 2016 Olympic triumph in Tokyo this summer. 

Younger sister Yukako KAWAI (JPN) will be tasked with trying to stop the red-hot Tynybekova, who became Krgyzystan's first-ever world champion last year with a victory at 62kg. In a rematch of the 2019 Asian final won by Tynybekova, she defeated Yukako by fall in a close second-round encounter en route to the world gold. Kawai, a 2018 silver medalist, came back through the repechage to bring home a bronze medal. 

Tynybekova got this year off to a good start with back-to-back victories at the Matteo Pellicone ranking series event and the Yasar Dogu tournament. In New Delhi, the defending champion will be gunning for a fourth Asian title and seventh career medal overall. 

Fumita regained the world Greco 60kg title in Nur-Sultan that he had captured in 2017, when he also last sat on the Asian throne. He had to settle for bronze last year in Xi'an, China, which he attributed to struggles making weight. 

"I started thinking about getting down to weight at an early stage [this time], so I think it will be alright," Fumita told the Japan federation website. "This will be the last tournament with no weight allowance before the Olympics. Along with the weight [process], I want to give myself a solid test at the top level in Asia."

Fumita will have to contend with defending champion Islomjon BAHRAMOV (UZB), the silver medalist at the Matteo Pellicone, as well as world U-23 silver medalist Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), world bronze medalist Ali Reza NEJATI (IRI) and 2019 Asian bronze medalist Gyaender GYANENDER (IND).

"If I wrestle to my ability, I'm confident I can beat anyone in the world," Fumita said. 

Returning world bronze medalist Ali Reza NEJATI (IRI) leads a young Iranian team into the Asian Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Iran's solid but decidedly second-string contingent might have fans scrambling for the UWW database, as Nejati is the lone Iranian out of its seven world medalists who will be making the trip to New Delhi, and none of its eight reigning Asian champions (four each in freestyle and Greco) will be there. 

The Middle East powerhouse will be sending two world U-23 champions in Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) at freestyle 97kg and Meysam DALKHANI (IRI) at Greco 63kg. Mohammadhossein MOHAMMADIAN (IRI), who turned heads with his stunning run to the gold at the Matteo Pellicone that included a victory by fall over Olympic champion Kyle SNYDER (USA), is not entered.

For the home team, all eyes will be on freestyle 65kg superstar Bajrang PUNIA (IND), and the local media is touting a possible rematch of his controversial semifinal loss in Nur-Sultan to Daulet NIYAZBEKOV (KAZ). Niyazbekov held a 9-2 lead in an often ill-tempered match before holding on for a 9-9 win by criteria. Niyazbekov took the silver medal and Punia finished with a bronze.

A meeting between the two would also be a clash between the defending (Punia) and preceding (Niyazbekov) champions. And not to be overlooked is Takuto OTOGURO (JPN), whose wild victory over Punia in the 2018 world final was named the UWW's match of the year. Otoguro, who missed last year's Asian Championships due to a knee injury before finishing fifth in Nur-Sultan, will be looking to improve his world ranking from the current seventh. 

Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB), a Rio Olympic bronze medalist, is bumping up to 63kg from his world fifth place weight of  60kg. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Greco-Roman, February 18-19
Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB), after finishing fifth at the World Championships in the Olympic weight of 60kg, has returned to 63kg. The Rio 2016 bronze medalist, who will try for a fifth Asian gold and seventh medal overall in eight appearances, will be looking to erase the memory of the literal pain of his runner-up finish last year in Xi'an. He had to default early in the final against TUO Erbatu (CHN) because of a severe back injury. 

With neither Tuo, world champion Shinobu OTA (JPN) nor bronze medalist Almat KEBISPAYEV (KAZ) entered, Tasmuradov's main competition looks to come from Iran's Dalkani and Tynar SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ), who were both fifth in Nur-Sultan. Ota unsuccessfully tried to move up to the Olympic weight of 67kg at the Japan Championships and was not named to Japan's team. 

Former world champion RYU Hansu (KOR) will attempt to defend his title at 67kg as he goes for a third career Asian gold, with Matteo Pellicone winner Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) and 2018 Asian silver medalist Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (JPN) looking to stop him. 

At 77kg, both world silver medalist Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) and Asian silver medalist Gurpreet SINGH (IND) have moved up to 82kg, leaving their former weight class as a battle among the young trio of world U-23 silver medalist Kodai SAKURABA (JPN) and bronze medalist Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) and world junior bronze medalist Sajan SAJAN (IND). World military champion Pejman POSTAM (IRI) can't be counted out.

Veteran Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB), coming off a third-place finish in Nur-Sultan, will look to add to his hefty Asian collection when the 2019 bronze medalist takes the mat at 87kg. Shooting for his fourth gold and first since 2018, Assakalov will have to contend with Kumar SUNIL (IND) and Azamat KUSTUBAEV (KAZ), silver and bronze medalists, respectively, last year in Xi'an.

Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) heads into the Asian Championships as the favorite to win the 53kg gold medal. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling, February 20-21
Former world champion Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) was deprived of a chance to avenge consecutive losses in last year's Asian and world finals to PAK Yong Mi (PRK) at 53kg, but heads to New Delhi as the solid favorite to add to the Asian gold that she won in the Indian capital in 2017. 

Vinesh PHOGAT (IND), a bronze medalist at both the worlds and Asia last year, will look to ride the home mat advantage and capture her first continental gold since 2015 and seventh medal overall. She won the gold at the Matteo Pellicone, putting her one point ahead of Mukaida in second in the world rankings. 

In the lightest weight class, Valentina ISLAMOVA-BRIK (KAZ) appears poised to pick up her first major title after winning bronzes at both last year's Asian and World Championships at 50kg. Japan, which has no shortage of talent in the division, will send out Miho IGARASHI (JPN), a two-time world U-23 champion. 

At the other end of the scale, world silver medalist Hiroe MINAGAWA (JPN) will shoot for her first Asian title since 2015 and third overall at 76kg. She finished second each of the past two years, losing both times to Chinese opponents. Without that wall to get over, she can expect her main challenge to come from world U-23 bronze medalist Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) and Rio 2016 bronze medalist Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), who was fifth at Nur-Sultan. 

Deepak PUNIA (IND), a 2019 world runner-up, is looking to improve on his bronze-medal finish from last year's Asian Championships. (Photo: Kadir Caliskan)

Freestyle, February 22-23
In addition to Punia at 65kg, the host country can be considered to have high-percentage shots at gold in three other weight classes through world silver medalist Deepak PUNIA (IND) at 86kg, and bronze medalists Kumar RAVI (IND) at 57kg and Rahul AWARE (IND) at 61kg. 

The 20-year-old Deepak Punia has become one of India's rising stars, following up his world junior championship in 2019 by making it to the final at the senior worlds, where he had to default the gold-medal match to Iranian superstar Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) due to a leg injury. 

Punia finished third at last year's Asian Championships, where Aligadzhi GAMIGADZHIEV (KGZ), one of his main rivals in New Delhi, won the silver medal. Also expected to be in the mix is Ahmad BAZRIGHALEH (IRI), who was third at the 2017 world juniors where Punia finished fifth.

Ravi could clash with former world champion Yuki TAKAHASHI (JPN), who not only failed to clinch a Tokyo 2020 place at 57kg in Nur-Sultan, but then also lost out to Rio 2016 silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI (JPN) at the national championships to go to the Asian Olympic qualifier. Takahashi, the Asian gold medalist in 2017 who finished third last year, will be out to prove as much to himself as anyone his best days are not behind him. 

Ravi's fellow world bronze medalist, Nurislam SANAYEV (KAZ), is also entered at 57kg. The two faced each other at the Matteo Pellicone at 61kg in a four-man round-robin, with the Indian winning 6-0 and taking the gold. Sanayev, the 2018 Asian champion at 61kg, took the silver. 

Daichi TAKATANI (JPN), who lost in the Asian 65kg final to Niyazbekov in 2018, will make his international debut at 74kg, having moved up two weight classes in an unsuccessful bid to get into a playoff for Japan's berth in that division at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Schedule 

Monday, February 17
17:00-18:00 - Draw GR, all weight categories

Tuesday, February 18
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: GR 55, 63, 77, 87 & 130kg 
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: GR 55, 63, 77, 87 & 130kg 
17:30-18:00 - Opening Ceremony 
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: GR 55, 63, 77, 87 & 130kg 

Wednesday, February 19
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: GR 60, 67, 72, 82 & 97kg 
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: GR 60, 67, 72, 82 & 97kg 
14:30-15:30 - Draw WW, all weight categories
18:00-21:30 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: GR 60, 67, 72, 82 & 97kg 

Thursday, February 20
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: WW 50, 55, 59, 68 & 76kg 
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: WW 50, 55, 59, 68 & 76kg 
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: WW 50, 55, 59, 68 & 76kg 

Friday, February 21
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: WW 53, 57, 62, 65 & 72kg 
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: WW 53, 57, 62, 65 & 72kg 
14:30-15:30 - Draw FS, all weight categories
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: WW 53, 57, 62, 65 & 72kg 

Saturday, February 22
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: FS 57, 65, 70, 79 & 97kg 
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: FS 57, 65, 70, 79 & 97kg 
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: FS 57, 65, 70, 79 & 97kg 

Sunday, February 23
8:30-9:00 - Medical Examination and Weigh-In: FS 61, 74, 86, 92 & 125kg 
11:30-14:30 - Qualification Rounds & Repechage: FS 61, 74, 86, 92 & 125kg 
18:00-21:00 - Finals and Award Ceremonies: FS 61, 74, 86, 92 & 125kg 

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships: Rise of Sujeet Fuels India’s 65kg Gold Hopes

Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 14:05 By Vinay Siwach

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 4) -- When SUJEET (IND) steps on the mat at the Asian Championships in Bishkek on Friday, he will carry hopes of a country looking for an Asian champion in a Freestyle weight class other than 57kg for the past seven years.

The 23-year-old is unbeaten this year, winning gold medals at the Zagreb Open and Muhamet Malo Ranking Series, making him the favorite to win gold at 65kg in Bishkek. The last time India won a gold medal at the Asian Championships was 2019 when Bajrang PUNIA (IND) won in Xi'an, China.

"I don't think much about anything," Sujeet says. "I say the name of the God and step on the mat. I will do the same at the Asian Championships.

"I am happy that I wrestle at 65kg because India has a decent history at 65kg. I will also try to carry it forward."

The 65kg field in Bishkek includes returning 61kg Asian champion Takara SUDA (JPN) who is moving up one weight. Suda's ability to score at any time in a bout puts him as the biggest threat against Sujeet.

World bronze medalist Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) is another strong competitor for Sujeet. The Indian enjoys a 4-0 head-to-head record against the Uzbekistan wrestler but at last year's Asian Championships, Sujeet pulled out of his bronze medal bout against Jalolov due to an injury.

Another tough competitor for Sujeet can be Peyman NEMATI (IRI). The two wrestled in the final of the Zagreb Open and the Iranian managed to keep Sujeet quiet despite losing 3-0. He will be keen to avenge that loss and win gold for Iran.

Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK), a world bronze medalist at 70kg in 2024, can spring a surprise and so can former U17 world champion Rustamzhan KAKHAROV (KGZ).

Early Start

Hailing from village Imlota, Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, a state that produces majority of wrestlers in India, Sujeet was introduced to wrestling in his village.

"There was an old akhada [training school] in my village so I used to go there," he says. "No coach had formal experience as such and I used to lose at the district level. I remember I lost in 2019 at the state level."

While there was little history of wrestling in the village itself, Sujeet's father Dayanand KALKAL was a national-level wrestler and was keen for his son to pick the sport as well. Till 2020, Sujeet continued training in the village.

"I was decent in studies," he says. "I balanced it with wrestling but after school, it was all wrestling. My village was very supportive of my wrestling. And then in 2021, I made the switch."

From south-west Haryana, Sujeet moved to Sonipat, a district in Haryana 60 kilometers north of New Delhi. With more experienced training partners, Sujeet could feel the improvements in his wrestling.

"The shift in 2021 to Sonipat changed my wrestling," he says. "My wrestling matured and the other wrestlers had international experience so it helped me in all aspects."

SUJEET (IND)SUJEET (IND), third from left, won a bronze medal at the 2022 U20 World Championships in Sofia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In just one year, Sujeet made the U20 Indian team and was on his way to Bulgaria for the World Championships. He lost to Ziraddin BAYRAMOV (AZE) in the semifinals but won a bronze medal at 65kg, his first in international wrestling on debut.

"I was happy that I won a medal in my first-ever competition despite it being bronze," he says. "My wrestling was different than my opponents. I had never experienced that. But slowly I got used to it."

The biggest challenge for Sujeet was the vast difference in wrestling between junior and senior levels.

"When you shift from junior to senior, there is a lot of difference from power to technique," he says. "Opponents study you a lot once you are consistently competing. Everyone studies each other but I stick to my techniques."

Senior Career

Sujeet made the required adjustments and won the senior nationals in India to make the team with a hope to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. But that journey ended in a heartbreak.

At the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek, Sujeet failed to reach the competition due to floods at the Dubai airport. A month later at the World Olympic Qualifiers in Istanbul, Sujeet squandered a 2-0 lead against Zain RETHERFORD (USA) and missed out on a ticket to Paris.

"My father says do not celebrate too much when you win, don't be disheartened when you lose, balance it," he says. "So I try to keep it balanced. I don't sulk when I lose. I think about it a little and then move on, sit with my friends and try to see what I can improve."

In need of training partners who could challenge him with different styles, Sujeet spent a few months training overseas. He picked Mongolia, Russia and Japan, and picked a few details from the sparring sessions. He also realized that depending on the renowned Indian conditioning will not be enough to win medals at the world level.

"In India, the training lasts long, usually 3-4 hours," he says. "In Japan, they have smaller training sessions with focus on speed. Russia also has longer sessions with focus on scrambles and bouts.

"Our stamina comes from the longer trainings which are also very hard. The Indian sit-ups are quite different. Others also have unique ways to train but they focus on their own styles. But we ultimately work hard for longer bouts."

Sujeet ended 2024 with a bronze medal at 70kg at the U23 World Championships.

For the majority of 2025, he remained an under-the-radar wrestler. He won the Ranking Series event in Budapest but was far off from being a medal threat at the September World Championships. However, a bout against Olympic silver medalist Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) at the World Championships caught the attention of the fans.

Though he lost 6-5, Sujeet was surprisingly the only wrestler who troubled Amouzad, the eventual world champion, in Zagreb.

"It was my first bout so I was all over the place and he was clearly stronger than me," he recalls. "May be next time I will be calmer. I took too much pressure on myself to win a medal and that showed in my bout against Real WOODS (USA)."

Woods beat Sujeet in repechage after an initial flurry of turns and then defended his lead to win 7-5. Sujeet returned home empty-handed.

SUJEET (IND)SUJEET (IND), second from left, as the U23 world champion in 2025. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Unbeaten Streak

But in a month's time, Sujeet would make amends and win the U23 world title with a stunning series of win over former U23 world champion Bashir MAGOMEDOV (UWW) in the quarterfinals, former U20 world champion Yuto NISHUCHI (JPN) in semifinals and Jalolov, who had won bronze in Zagreb, 10-0 in the final. He scored in the final 10 seconds in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

"At the U23 Worlds, I did not care much about the draw," he says. "I think I can manage to score at any moment. I do panic but I try to remain calm. I like going for the sweep and catch both legs to score points."

The Asian Championships will be a huge test of Sujeet's recent form and skill. A gold in Bishkek can put him in the top-tier of 65kg. Does he have the class to win in Bishkek and beyond?

"My wrestling is going good," he says. "Some win via technique, some win by speed. I personally feel my wrestling is good to win here."