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Asian Games Day One: Updated Results and Photos

By United World Wrestling Press

INCHEON, Korea (September 27) – Results at 48kg and 63kg in female wrestling and 57kg and 70kg in men's freestyle at the Asian Games on Saturday, September 27:

57kg - Men's Freestyle
Gold: JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) df. Rasul KALIEV (KAZ), 8-6
Bronze: BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) df. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN), 5-3
Bronze: YUN Jun-Sik (KOR) df. Nikolay NOEV (TJK), 5-2

Semifinals: JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) df. Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN), 4-2
Semifinals: Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) df. YUN Jun-Sik (KOR), 9-3

Repechage: Nikolay NOEV (TJK) df. Fahad Ali GHAZWANI (KSA) by FALL, 0:20 (8-0)

Quarterfinals: JONG Hak-Jin (PRK) df. BATBOLD Nomin (MGL), 11-8
Quarterfinals: Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) df. Ramil REJEPOV (TKM), 6-0
Quarterfinals: Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) df. Nikolay NOEV (TJK), 7-2
Quarterfinals: YUN Jun-Sik (KOR) df. Hassan RAHIMI (IRI), 1-0

Preliminaries: BATBOLD Nomin (MGL) df. Firas ALALLI ALRIFAI (SYR) by fall, 1:50 (4-0)
Preliminaries Fumitaka MORISHITA (JPN) df. Amit KUMAR (IND), 2-2
Preliminaries: Ramil REJEPOV (TKM) df. Muhammad BILAL (PAK) by TF, 10-0, 1:49
Preliminaries: Rasul KALIEV (KAZ) df. Fahad Ali GHAZWANI (KSA) by TF, 10-0, 1:07
Preliminaries: Nikolay NOEV (TJK) df. Basheer ALYAMANI (YEM) by TF, 10-0, 1:27
Preliminaries: Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) df. Samat NADYRBEK UULU (KGZ) by TF, 10-0, 5:57
Preliminaries: YUN Jun-Sik (KOR) df. HONG Xiaobin (CHN) by TF, 13-2, 5:41

70kg -- Men's Freestyle

Gold: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. OH Man-Ho (KOR), 7-2
Bronze: Eleman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ) df. JANG Myong-Song (PRK), 6-0
Bronze: Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) df. LING Haiwei (CHN), 8-0

Semifinals: OH Man-Ho (KOR) df. JANG Myong-Song (PRK), 1-1
Semifinals: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN), 6-0

Repechage: LING Haiwei (CHN) df. Somirshoh VOKHIDOV (TJK), 8-7

Quarterfinals : OH Man-Ho (KOR) df. Eleman DOGDURBEK UULU (KGZ), 7-2
Quarterfinals: JANG Myong-Song (PRK) df. Mohamed KHAN SHAIKHOUNI (SYR), 12-4
Quarterfinals: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. LING Haiwei (CHN) by TF, 10-0 (4:48)
Quarterfinals: Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) df. Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI), 3-3

Preliminaries: LING Haiwei (CHN) df. WIN Hlaing Htwe (MYA) by fall, 1:21 (6-0)
Preliminaries: Bekzod ABDURAKHMANOV (UZB) df. Somirshoh VOKHIDOV (TJK) by TF, 12-1, 2:31
Preliminaries: Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) df. Azamat OMURZHANOV (KAZ), 5-1
Preliminaries: Takafumi KOJIMA (JPN) df. Parveen RANA (IND), 3-2

48kg - Female Wrestling
Gold: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. SUN Yanan (CHN), 5-1 
Bronze: Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ) df. Maliwan MUANGPOR (THA) by TF, 10-0
Bronze: Vinesh (IND) df. ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL) by TF, 10-0

Semifinals: SUN Yanan (CHN) df. Maliwan MUANGPOR (THA) by TF, 10-0 in 2:45
Semifinals: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. Vinesh (IND), 6-4 

Repechage: Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ) df. Margarita FILIPPOVA (TKM) by TF, 10-0 (1:12)
Repechage: ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL) df.  LEE Yu-Mi (KOR), 6-5


Quarterfinals: Maliwan MUANGPOR (THA) df. Sotheara CHOV (CAM), 12-5
Quarterfinals: SUN Yanan (CHN) df. Margarita FILIPPOVA (TKM) by TF, 12-1, 1:01
Quarterfinals: Vinesh (IND) df. Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB) by fall, 4:41 (10-0)
Quarterfinals: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL), by TF,12-2, 3:27

Preliminaries: SUN Yanan (CHN) df. Tatyana AMANZHOL (KAZ), 8-3
Preliminaries: Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB) df. Kyu Thein KYU (MYA) by fall, 5:44 (11-0)
Preliminaries: Vinesh (IND) df. PAK Yong-Mi (PRK), 4-3
Preliminaries: ERDENESUKH Narangerel (MGL) df. NGUYEN Thi Lua (VIE), 3-1
Preliminaries: Eri TOSAKA (JPN) df. LEE Yu-Mi (KOR), 6-2

63kg - Female Wrestling
Gold: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) by creiteria, 4-4
Bronze: SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) df. KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) by TF, 10-0
Bronze: Geetika JAKHAR (IND) df. LY Thi Hien (VIE) by FALL, 0:55

Semifinals: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL), 11-8
Semifinals: XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) df. Geetika JAKHAR (IND) by FALL in 5:46 (11-7)

Repechage: LY Thi Hien (VIE) df. Aziza SULTAMURATOVA (UZB), by FALL, 0:57 (8-0)
Repechage: KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) df. CHEN Wen-ling(TPE), 7-2


Quarterfinals: SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) df. KIM Ran-Mi (PRK), by fall, 1:10 (2-2)
Quarterfinals: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) by TF, 10-0
Quarterfinals: XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) df. LY Thi Hien (VIE) by fall, 0:48 (4-0)
Quarterfinals: Geetika JAKHAR (IND) df. AUTNUN Jaratrawee (THA), 8-0

Preliminaries: KIM Kyeon-Geun (KOR) df. Oday LATXOMPHOU (LAO) by TF, 10-0, 2:13
Preliminaries: Rio WATARI (JPN) df. CHEN Wen-ling(TPE) by TF, 10-0
Preliminaries: XILUO Zhuoma (CHN) df. Aziza SULTAMURATOVA (UZB) by fall, 2:38 (6-0)
Preliminaries: LY Thi Hien (VIE) df. MAY Thazin Phue (MYA) by TF, 10-0
Preliminaries: Geetika JAKHAR (IND) df. Ekaterina LARIONOVA (KAZ), 5-4
Preliminaries: AUTNUN Jaratrawee (THA) df. Violetta SHUMILOVA (TKM) by TF, 10-0

#WrestleAthens

Olympic legend Icho returns to Athens to lead Japan’s next generation

By Vinay Siwach

ATHENS, Greece (August 2) -- In Athens, home of the Olympics, Kaori ICHO (JPN) is already one of the pantheon of greats.

Having once made history as an athlete here -- winning the first of four Olympic gold medals at the 2004 Olympics -- Icho now sets out to carve a new legacy, this time as coach to the next generation of Japanese talent.

In Athens, she is making her international debut as coach of the Japanese women's team at the World U17 Championships as she returns to the Ano Liossia Olympic Sports Hall, the same venue she won the Olympic gold.

"I have returned to this arena for the first time in 21 years," Icho told United World Wrestling. "I won an [Olympic] gold medal in this arena for the first time."

Icho, who ended her wrestling career in 2019, started coaching after the Tokyo Olympics. She has coached Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) domestically as both Morikawa and Icho are recruited with ALSOK.

Japan managed to win only one gold medal in Women's Wrestling at the World Championships and finished third in the team race. While Japan is not used to finishing at that position in Women's Wrestling, the third-place highlighted that even Japan's second-tier team poses a significant challenge to the world.

The presence of Icho definitely helped the wrestlers, who were not only helped by her experience but the presence of the four-time Olympic champion motivated them.

Japan's world champion in Athens, Hanano OYA (JPN), said that watching Icho win her record fourth gold medal in Rio 2016 inspired her to take up wrestling.

"The reason I started wrestling was because of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics," Oya said. "It was when Kaori achieved her fourth consecutive victory, and I saw it on TV. I started wrestling myself, so I was very happy when she accompanied me and acted as my second coach, and I felt that I had to live up to her expectations."

Kaori ICHO (JPN)Kaori ICHO (JPN) coaches one of the members of the Japanese team. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

For Icho, not being on the mat and coaching from the corner was a different experience.

"I feel really strange being able to come back here as a coach," she said. "This tournament is the World Championships for those under 17 years old. I also became an Olympic gold medalist at this venue when I was 20 and I hope that the young athletes will work hard towards their Olympic dreams."

Back in 2004, the first Olympics when Women's Wrestling became part of it, Icho remembered the nervous and the excitement. The enjoyment, however, came only after she had won the gold.

"It was my first Olympics," she said. "I was very nervous and excited. I was here for about two weeks, from the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony. After winning, I went swimming in the Aegean Sea. It was a very enjoyable Olympics."

Kaori ICHO (JPN)Kaori ICHO (JPN) during a warm-up session of the Japanese team in Athens. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

When she landed at the airport in Athens on Monday, memories from the past came rushing back.

"I don't particularly feel it at the airport, but I wondered if it was this hot," she said. "I wondered what the venue will be like. I was reminiscing about 21 years ago."

Once at the venue, Icho was requested for photos from wrestlers and coaches which she obliged. With her first tournament as coach behind her, Icho is determined to work even harder as she prepares the senior Japan team for the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, this September.

"Coaches and players asked me to take pictures with them," she said. "I felt stronger coming here. I want to work harder as a coach."