Bakhramov Matches Brother as Asian Greco Champion; Geraei, Abdvali Also Strike Gold Among Siblings

Sunday, April 28, 2019 - 15:51 By Ken Marantz

XI’AN, China (April 28)—Having seen his younger brother win a gold medal the day before, Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) did what comes naturally to a sibling. Wanting what he has.

Bakhramov made it two golds in the family when he captured the 60kg title as the Asian Championships finished up with competition in five Greco-Roman finals on the sixth and final day in Xi’an.

Bakhramov defeated RI Se Ung (PRK) by a 12-4 technical fall, avenging a loss in the semifinals at last year’s Asian Championships in Bishkek, where he had to settle for a bronze medal.

It also gave Uzbekistan a second gold medal after younger brother Ilkhom captured the 55kg title the previous day.

“Two brothers in one sport is very excellent,” Bakhramov said. “We motivate each other. If the younger brother wins a medal, why shouldn’t the older brother also win? If he wins, I must win.”

Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) celebrates after winning the 72kg gold medal with a 5-0 win over China's ZHANG Hujun. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Meanwhile, Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) and Saeid ABDVALI (IRI)—who also had brothers competing in Xi’an, both of whom won bronze medals—cruised to the 72kg and 82kg titles, respectively, to help Iran capture the team championship by just two points ahead of Uzbekistan.

The title race came down to the final match of the tournament, and a 3-2 victory by Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) over Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) in the 97kg final left Uzbekistan two points short of Iran, which won with 165 after securing four golds and three bronzes.

Kazakhstan was third with 134 points, mainly on the strength of six bronze medals.

Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) tosses RI Se Ung (PRK) in the 60kg gold-medal bout. The Uzbekistan wrestler reached the top of the podium with a 12-4 victory. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

In a never-a-dull moment 60kg final, Bakhramov got the advantage first in the par terre position and executed a roll for a 3-0 lead. But Ri, who knocked off 2017 world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) and world bronze medalist Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) en route to the final, came back with a 2-point back drop.

Bakhramov replied with a twisting head lock for two points, but Ri struck back with a 2-point head lock throw to cut the gap to 5-4.

In the second period, the Uzbeki padded his lead with a takedown and 1-point leg-grab penalty. With the seconds ticking down, Ri made a last-ditch leap for a score, but landed on his back, giving Bakhramov four points and the technical fall at the buzzer.

“Last time I didn’t know him, what moves he would do,” Bakhramov said. “This time I was ready absolutely. I trained very well and was completely ready for this championships.”

For Ilkhom Bakhramov, seeing his older brother’s success only doubled the pleasure of his own.

“Yesterday when I won the [gold] medal, I was really happy,” he said. “But it was like 50 percent. Today, my brother also won, so that’s why it’s 100 percent. I was shouting and jumping.”

Geraei, who was third at the Asian Games last summer in Jakarta, earned his first Asian title with a solid 5-0 victory over ZHANG Hujun (CHN) in the 72kg final.

Geraei, whose older brother Mohammadali was third at 77kg on Saturday, scored a takedown in each period and was never really put in danger.

Saeid ABDVALI (IRI) shutout India's Singh HARPEET, 8-0 to win the 82kg gold medal. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Abdvali, a former world champion and Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, was even more dominant in putting away Singh HARPEET (IND) by 8-0 technical fall in 3:54, scoring two takedowns and four stepouts.

“My program to prepare for this championships was five months,” said Abdvali, who won all three of his matches by technical falls without surrendering a point to add a first Asian title to two Asian Games crowns. “At the competition, I was strong and ready.”

Advali said younger brother Saman, a bronze medalist at 63kg, had his chance for gold, too. “He made a mistake and that caused him to lose,” he said.

Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) celebrates after scoring the 3-2 win over Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) in the 97kg gold-medal match. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

In the 97kg final, Dzhuzupbekov, who was third at both the Asian Championships and Asian Games last year, managed to roll Turdiev from the par terre position a minute into the second period to take a 3-1 lead, then held on for the victory.

RYU Hansu (KOR) used a four-point move to top Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ), 5-1 in the final at 67kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

The other title at stake on the final night at Xidian University’s Invengo Gymnasium went to RYU Hansu (KOR), who scored with a 4-point move with :46 left in the 67kg final to top world bronze medalist Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ), 5-1.

With the wrestlers tied at 1-1 from passivity points, Ryu secured a body lock from the side, then twisted Shermakhanbet backwards and down for the big-point move that secured his third Asian gold.

“It’s something that I practice all the time,” said Ryu, a two-time Asian Games champion and 2017 world champion. “It came natural to me because I have done it so many times.”

Host China, which finished 10 points behind Kazakhstan in the team standings, ended on a positive note with three wrestlers taking bronze medals: ZHANG Gaoquan (CHN) at 67kg, QIAN Haitao (CHN) at 87 kg and XIAO Di (CHN) at 97kg.

Japan came away with a pair of bronzes from Fumita at 60kg and Shogo TAKAHASHI (JPN) at 67kg. Fumita, the 2017 world and Asian champion, won without a fight as Walihan defaulted their bronze-medal match due to a shoulder injury.

One of the more exciting matches of the evening program was a come-from-behind victory by Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ) in an 82kg bronze-medal match.

Trailing Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) 5-0, Yerezhepov was in the process of being lifted for a roll, when he suddenly clamped down on his opponent’s arm to send him to his back and win by an unlikely fall at 2:02.

Day 6 results

Greco-Roman

60kg (12 entries)
Gold – Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. RI Se Ung (PRK) by TF, 12-4, 6:00
Bronze – Gyanender GYANENDER (IND) df. HUANG Jui Chi (TPE) by TF, 9-0, 2:45
Bronze – Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) df. Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) by Default

67kg (14 entries)
Gold – RYU Hansu (KOR) df. Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ), 5-1
Bronze – ZHANG Gaoquan (CHN) df. Abdulkarim AL HASAN (SYR), 7-0
Bronze – Shogo TAKAHASHI (JPN) df. Mirzobek RAKHMATOV (UZB), 5-2

72kg (9 entries)
Gold – Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) df. ZHANG Hujun (CHN), 5-0
Bronze – Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ) df. Yogesh YOGESH (IND) by TF, 8-0, 1:12
Bronze – Demeu ZHADRAYEV (KAZ) df. Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) by Fall, 2:29 (3-2)

82kg (9 entries)
Gold – Saeid ABDVALI (IRI) df. Singh HARPEET (IND) by TF, 8-0, 3:54
Bronze – Maxat YEREZHEPOV (KAZ) df. Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) by Fall, 2:02 (2-5)
Bronze – QIAN Haitao (CHN) df. Burgo BEISHALIEV (KGZ) by TF, 9-0, 3:29

97kg (9 entries)
Gold – Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) df. Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB), 3-2
Bronze – XIAO Di (CHN) df. LEE Seyeol (KOR), 1-1
Bronze – Mahdi ALIYARIFEIZABADI (IRI) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 4-2

Team Standings
1. Iran 165 points (4 gold-0 silver-3 bronze)
2. Uzbekistan 163 (2-3-1)
3. Kazakhstan 134 (0-1-6)

#wrestlebishkek

Asian Championships: Iran Puts Four into Greco-Roman Finals

Monday, April 6, 2026 - 16:52 By Ken Marantz

Erfan JARKANI (IRI) celebrates after reaching the 63kg final at the Asian Championships in Bishkek. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 6) – On an opening day bereft of big surprises, the Iranians were their usual dominant selves, while local hero Azkhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) sent the partisan crowd into a frenzy by doing what he does best.

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) and fellow reigning world champion Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) were among four Iranians who qualified for the finals in the five Greco-Roman weight classes in action on the first day of the Asian Championships on Monday in Bishkek.

For the first time, the two-day format for all weight classes is being used at the Asian Championships, so that the five divisions on the first day were competed only through the semifinals.

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) turns Minseok KIM (KOR) during the 130kg semifinal at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Mirzazadeh’s march toward a fourth Asian gold at 130kg over a seven-year span could not be regarded as unscathed – he was on the receiving end of a painful head butt in his 8-0 semifinal victory over Minseok KIM (KOR).

Other than that, it was smooth sailing as the Paris Olympic bronze medalist and two-time world champion advanced with a pair of wins by technical superiority.

Mirzazadeh and Farokhi were joined in the finals by Erfan JARKANI (IRI) and Ali OSKOU (IRI) as Iran looks on track to surpass its 2025 gold medal tally of five in Amman, Jordan.

“We were expecting Farokhi and Mirzazadeh to reach the final, but over the last two years, both Jarkani and Oksou have improved a lot and good results were expected from them and they showed that,” Iran head coach Hassan RANGRAZ said. “Hopefully, tomorrow also our wrestlers will achieve good results.”

Against Kim, Mirzazadeh jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a pair of gut wrenches in par terre. In the second period, Kim rose his head as Mirzazadeh approached, causing a collision that left both rubbing their wounds.

Kim was assessed a 2-point penalty, and when a Korean challenge of the call was denied, that gave the Iranian his eighth and decisive point.

In the final, Mirzazadeh will face a newcomer to the Asian scene, former Russian national champion Rafael TSITSUASHVILI (UZB), who advanced with a 7-2 victory over two-time bronze medalist Yuta NARA (JPN).

Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI), the world champion at 82kg, defeated Sunil KUMAR (IND) in 87kg semifinals at the Asian Championships. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

In one of those blink-and-you-missed-it dominant victories, Farokhi swiftly powered to an 8-0 victory over three-time Asian medalist Sunil KUMAR (IND) to advance to the 87kg final.

Farokhi, last year’s world champion at 82kg who has not lost an international match since 2022, shrugged Kumar by to get behind, then used an arm lock for four quicksilver back-and-forth exposures to end the match in 37 seconds.

In the final, Farokhi will take on world bronze medalist Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ), who put together a slightly less dominant 8-0 victory over Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) to become one of three wrestlers from the host country to make the finals.

Zhanyshov, a two-time Asian U23 champion, finished up the win with a go-behind takedown to top Tursynov, who has three Asian medals over a 10-year span – from a gold in 2014 to silvers in 2015 and 2023.

Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) launches Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB) for four points during the 77kg semifinals in Bishkek. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

The biggest cheers of the night at the new Zhastyk Arena came in response to the exploits at 77kg of Makhmudov, who first stole the spotlight when he won the first of his three Asian golds in 2018 across the street at the Soviet-era Kojomkul Sports Palace.

Facing 2024 Asian bronze medalist Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), Makhmudov got the first shot at par terre and took full advantage, thrilling the crowd with not one but two powerful reverse body lifts in which he flipped his opponent over like a pancake on the griddle.

Makhmudov, a two-time world champion and two-time Olympic medalist, began the year on a sluggish note, falling in the 82kg quarterfinals of the Tirana Ranking Series tournament in February to Tunjay VAZIRZADE (AZE).

But back at his usual weight, Makhmudov is looking more like his old self – and he’ll need to be in that form in a challenging final against Iran’s Oskou, this year’s Zagreb Ranking Series champion and a 2024 world U23 bronze medalist.

Oskou had a pair of four-point throws and, while having to fight off his back when one roll attempt was stopped, still managed to forge a solid 13-3 victory over AMAN (IND) in the other semifinal.

Erfan JARKANI (IRI) battles it out with Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) in the 63kg semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 63kg, Zagreb Open champion and 2024 world U23 and U20 bronze medalist Jarkani held off former Asian champion Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) in a 5-3 win to advance to the final in his senior Asian debut.

Jarkani opened with a takedown, then quickly went up 5-0 when he received single points for passivity, fleeing and an unsuccessful challenge.

In the second period, Bakhramov showed the fight that led him to the 60kg gold in 2019, but could only manage a single gut wrench from par terre to fall short of victory.

Bakhramov, a world bronze medalist in 2023, still has a chance for his fourth career Asian medal and third bronze.

Jarkani will battle for the gold against Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), who become the first wrestler from the home team to make the finals when he bulldozed his way to a 10-0 victory over Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM) in the other semifinal.

Taalaibek Uulu started the rout with a four-point arm throw onto which a challenge point was added. A passivity call put Taalaibek Uulu on top in par terre, and he hit his second four-pointer of the match to end it at 2:05.

Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) raises the hand of Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ) after beating the home wrestler in the 55kg semifinal. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

At 55kg, two-time bronze medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) shrugged off the vocal partisan crowd and a potentially costly penalty against 2024 bronze medalist Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ), riding a five-point first period to a 5-3 victory and a place in tomorrow’s final.

Botirov, the silver medalist in Zagreb, reeled off a pair of gut wrenches from par terre for a 5-0 lead. In the second period, Muratbek Uulu was put on top and before the action even started, Botirov was assessed a two-point penalty for moving too soon.

Despite the crowd’s efforts to spur their wrestler on, Botirov withstood Muratbek Uulu’s late attacks and assured he will improve on the bronze medals he won last year and in 2023 by making the final, where he will face LALIT (IND).

Botirov earlier defeated the only Iranian to not make the final on the day, Hajiali HOSSEINVAND (IRI), in the quarterfinals.

“Hosseinvand, too, should have been in the final given his recent performances, but it was unfortunate that he lost 8-0 [officially 10-0] against the Uzbekistan wrestler,” Rangraz added. “He beat him in February and he deserved to reach the final.”

LALIT (IND) reached the 55kg final after beating Houying SHI (CHN), 11-3. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Lalit put himself in position to become just the fourth Asian champion from India in Greco and first since 2020 when he battled back after losing the lead to defeat world bronze medalist Huoying SHI (CHN) 11-3.

Lalit, who likes to use a standing roll through from par terre, hit the move to take a 3-1 lead in the second period, but got stuck when he tried it again and Shi got around front, clamped on a front headlock and bulled Lalit over to go ahead 3-3 on criteria.

But Lalit struck back right away with a slick duck under for a takedown, then went to the roll through for two more, with an unsuccessful challenge point tacked on. A stepout and a defensive takedown gave Lalit the win by technical superiority as time ran out.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: LALIT (IND) vs. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB)

SF 1: Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) df. Ulan MURATBEK UULU (KGZ), 5-3
SF 2: LALIT (IND) df. Huoying SHI (CHN), 11-3

63kg
GOLD: Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ) vs. Erfan Behnam JARKANI (IRI)

SF 1: Erfan JARKANI (IRI) df. Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB), 5-3
SF 2: Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Azatjan ACHILOV (TKM), 10-0

77kg
GOLD: Ali OSKOU (IRI) vs. Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)

SF 1: Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Doniyorkhon NAKIBOV (UZB), 9-0
SF 2: Ali OSKOU (IRI) df. AMAN (IND), 13-3

87kg
GOLD: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) vs. Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI)

SF 1: Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) df. Suni KUMAR (IND), 8-0
SF 2: Asan ZHANYSHOV (KGZ) df. Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), 8-0

130kg
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) vs. Rafael TSITSUASHVILI (UZB)

SF 1: Rafael TSITSUASHVILI (UZB) df. Yuta NARA (JPN), 7-2
SF 2: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Minseok KIM (KOR), 8-0

Bakhramov Matches Brother as Asian Greco Champion; Geraei, Abdvali Also Strike Gold Among Siblings

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Asian Championships: Iran Puts Four into Greco-Roman Finals