#WrestleHangzhou

Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 Entry List

By Vinay Siwach

HANGZHOU, China (September 26) -- The 19th Asian Games kicked off in Hangzhou, China on September 23 with wrestling scheduled to take place from October 4 to 7 at the Lin'an Sports Culture & Exhibition Centre.

Wrestling will be attended by 29 countries in Freestyle, Women’s Wrestling and Greco-Roman. All three styles will compete in the six Olympic weight classes and award 72 medals — gold, silver and two bronze — in each weight class.

The Freestyle weight classes for the Asian Games are 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, 97kg and 125kg. Greco-Roman will be competed in 60kg, 67kg, 77kg, 87kg, 97kg and 130kg. Women’s Wrestling will see wrestlers in 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 68kg and 76kg.

Here are the entries for the Asian Games in all styles:

Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) is the defending champion at 86kg at the Asian Games. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Freestyle

57kg
Sophors SOEUN (CAM)
Minghu LIU (CHN)
Chongsong HAN (KOR)
AMAN (IND)
Ebrahim KHARI (IRI)
Toshihiro HASEGAWA (JPN)
Rakhat KALZHAN (KAZ)
Bekzat ALMAZ UULU (KGZ)
Zanabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL)
Muhammad BILAL (PAK)
Alvin LOBREGUITO (PHI)
Sunggwon KIM (KOR)
Hikmatullo VOHIDOV (TJK)
Nattawut KAEWKHUANCHUM (THA)
Nodirjon SAFAROV (UZB)

65kg
Mashal SADEQI (AFG)
Alibeg ALIBEGOV (BRN)
Bunna YON (CAM)
Baowen WEI (CHN)
Kwangjin KIM (KOR)
Bajrang PUNIA (IND)
Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI)
Kaiki YAMAGUCHI (JPN)
Sanzhar MUKHTAR (KAZ)
Alibek OSMONOV (KGZ)
Tulga TUMUR-OCHIR (MGL)
Abdullah ASSAF (PLE)
Ronil TUBOG (PHI)
Changsu KIM (KOR)
Abdulmazhid KUDIEV (TJK)
Siripong JUMPAKAM (THA)
Abbos RAKHMONOV (UZB)
Ibrahim GUZAN (YEM)

74kg
Magomedrasul ASLUEV (BRN)
Chheang CHHOEUN (CAM)
Feng LU (CHN)
Yash TUSHIR (IND)
Yones EMAMI (IRI)
Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN)
Darkhan YESSENGALI (KAZ)
Mohammed ABDULKAREEM (KUW)
Orozbek TOKTOMAMBETOV (KGZ)
Dawson SIHAVONG (LAO)
Suldkhuu OLONBAYAR (MGL)
Suresh CHUNARA (NEP)
Inayat ULLAH (PAK)
Byungmin GONG (KOR)
Magomet EVLOEV (TJK)
Parinya CHAMNANJAN (THA)
Perman HOMMADOV (TKM)
Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB)
Tat du CAN (VIE)

86kg
Farhad MALIKZADA (AFG)
Magomed SHARIPOV (BRN)
Vuthy HENG (CAM)
Xiao SUN (CHN)
Deepak PUNIA (IND)
Randa RIANDESTA (INA)
Hassan YAZDANI (IRI)
Shota SHIRAI (JPN)
Azamat DAULETBEKOV (KAZ)
Mukhammad ABDULLAEV (KGZ)
Bat-Erdene BYAMBASUREN (MGL)
Haider BUTT (PAK)
Gwanuk KIM (KOR)
Weng CHOW (SGP)
Yanaal BARAZE (SYR)
Dovletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOV (TKM)
Javrail SHAPIEV (UZB)

97kg
Sardar Wali NADERI (AFG)
Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN)
Sari MO (CAM)
Awusayiman HABILA (CHN)
VICKY (IND)
Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI)
Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN)
Alisher YERGALI (KAZ)
Kanybek ABDULKHAIROV (KGZ)
Gankhuyag GANBAATAR (MGL)
Juhwan SEO (KOR)
Rahmonjon MAHMADBEKOV (TJK)
Shatlyk HEMELYAYEV (TKM)
Magomed IBRAGIMOV (UZB)
Lam NGO (VIE)

125kg
Bali SOU (CAM)
BUHEEERDUN (CHN)
Sumit MALIK (IND)
Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI)
Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ)
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ)
Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL)
Raj YADAV (NEP)
Zaman ANWAR (PAK)
Yeihyun JUNG (KOR)
Omar SAREM (SYR)
Farkhod ANAKULOV (TJK)
Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM)
Khasanboy RAKHIMOV (UZB)

Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)Akari FUJINAMI (JPN) will wrestle at the her first Asian Games and look to extend the 127-match winning streak. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Women's Wrestling

50kg
Samnang DIT (CAM)
Jiang ZHU (CHN)
Yi Jing CHEN (TPE)
Sonhyang KIM (PRK)
Pooja GEHLOT (IND)
Remina YOSHIMOTO (JPN)
Svetlana ANKICHEVA (KAZ)
Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
Jiah PINGOT (PHI)
Miran CHEON (KOR)
Manlika ESATI (THA)
Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB)
Thi Xuan NGUYEN (VIE)

53kg
Vannak SAMBAT (CAM)
Qianyu PANG (CHN)
Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE)
Hyogyong CHOE (PRK)
ANTIM (IND)
Candra MARIMAR (INA)
Akari FUJINAMI (JPN)
Marina SEDNEVA (KAZ)
Otgonjargal GANBAATAR (MGL)
Hyunyoung OH (KOR)
Ahinsa FERNANDO (SRI)
Vatansulton SHAKARSHOEVA (TJK)
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)
Thi My Trang NGUYEN (VIE)

57kg
Sreylen CHHOEUN (CAM)
Kexin HONG (CHN)
Insun JONG (PRK)
Mansi AHLAWAT (IND)
Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN)
Emma TISSINA (KAZ)
Erdene-Suvd BAT-ERDENE (MGL)
Siwangi DUBE (NEP)
Jeongae BARK (KOR)
Danielle LIM (SGP)
Sriprapa THO KAEW (THA)
Laylokhon SOBIROVA (UZB)
Thi Anh TRAN (VIE)

62kg
Noeurn SOEURN (CAM)
Jia LONG (CHN)
Hsin Ping PAI (TPE)
Hyongyong MUN (KOR)
Sonam MALIK (IND)
Nonoka OZAKI (JPN)
Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ)
Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ)
Orkhon PUREVDORJ (MGL)
Sushila CHAND (NEP)
Hanbit LEE (KOR)
Salinee SRISOMBAT (THA)
Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB)
Thi My Hanh NGUYEN (VIE)

68kg
Kanha CHEA (CAM)
Feng ZHOU (CHN)
RADHIKA (IND)
Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN)
Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ)
Nurzat NURTAEVA (KGZ)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL)
Hyeonyeong PARK (KOR)
Firuza ESENBAEVA (UZB)
Dieu Thuong LAI (VIE)

76kg
Juan WANG (CHN)
Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE)
KIRAN (IND)
Varadisa HIDAYAT (INA)
Nodoka YAMAMOTO (JPN)
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)
Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN (MGL)
Seoyeon JEONG (KOR)
Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB)
Thi Linh DANG (VIE)

Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)World champion Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) will be in Hangzhou to wrestle in Greco-Roman 77kg. (Photo: UWW / Amirreza Aliasgari) 

Greco-Roman

60kg
Pros CHRAY (CAM)
Liguo CAO (CHN)
Jui Chi HUANG (TPE)
Seung RI (PRK)
Gyanender DAHIYA (IND)
Suparmanto SUPARMANTO (INA)
Meysam DALKHANI (IRI)
Ayata SUZUKI (JPN)
Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ)
Hanjae CHUNG (KOR)
Aslamjon AZIZOV (TJK)
Thanwa SUTDI (THA)
Arslanbek ZAKIRBAYEV (TKM)
Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB)
Tien Hai BUI (VIE)

67kg
Lei LI (CHN)
Yongjin RO (PRK)
NEERAJ (IND)
Muhammad ALIANSYAH (INA)
Danial SOHRABI (IRI)
Katsuaki ENDO (JPN)
Meiirzhan SHERMAKHANBET (KAZ)
Razzak BEISHEKEEV (KGZ)
Hansu RYU (KOR)
Nuttapong HINMEE (THA)
Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK)
Mansur NURBERDIYEV (TKM)
Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB)

77kg
Sophak KEO (CAM)
Rui LIU (CHN)
VIKAS (IND)
Andika SULAEMAN (INA)
Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI)
Kodai SAKURABA (JPN)
Azat SADYKOV (KAZ)
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ)
Bakhit BADR (QAT)
Hyeonwoo KIM (KOR)
Wisit THAMWIRAT (THA)
Dilshod OMONGELDIYEV (UZB)

87kg
Veasna CHHOEUNG (CAM)
Fei PENG (CHN)
Sunil KUMAR (IND)
Naser ALIZADEH (IRI)
Masato SUMI (JPN)
Maksat SAILAU (KAZ)
Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ)
Jafar KHAN (QAT)
Byeongcheol SHIN (KOR)
Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK)
Azym ANNAMAMMEDOV (TKM)
Jalgasbay BERDIMURTOV (UZB)
Dinh Hieu NGHIEM (VIE)

97kg
Yiming LI (CHN)
Narinder CHEEMA (IND)
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)
Takahiro TSURUDA (JPN)
Islam UMAYEV (KAZ)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Seyeol LEE (KOR)
Atthaphol SIRITHAHAN (THA)
Amanberdi AGAMAMMEDOV (TKM)
Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB)

130kg
Lingzhe MENG (CHN)
NAVEEN (IND)
Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI)
Sota OKUMURA (JPN)
Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ)
Roman KIM (KGZ)
Minseok KIM (KOR)
Timothy Yu LOH (SGP)
Nanthawat PANPHUEK (THA)
Aybegshazada KURRAYEV (TKM)
Temurbek NASIMOV (UZB)

Five-Time Olympic Champ Lopez Joins China as Greco Coach

By United World Wrestling Press

By Yang Boyi and Wang Chujie for Xinhua News

BEIJING, China (March 30) -- 18 years ago, Mijain LOPEZ (CUB) claimed his first Olympic gold medal in Beijing, launching an unprecedented reign of five consecutive Olympic titles, a feat unmatched in Olympic wrestling history.

Now the 42-year-old Cuban legend has returned to the Chinese capital, not as a competitor, but as a specially recruited foreign coach for China's national Greco-Roman team.

He arrived alongside Raul DIAZ, the lifelong mentor who guided him through the most dominant stretch of his historic career. Both now serve as United World Wrestling (UWW) Development Ambassadors, making this far more than a routine visit.

It is a homecoming to the city where Lopez's legend was forged, and a full-circle moment for two men whose fates have intertwined with Beijing and each other for nearly two decades.

Ruis DIAZRaul DIAZ (CUB) with the Chinese Greco-Roman national team. (Photo: Xinhua News)

Although Diaz and Lopez first bonded in 1999, their fates did not officially intertwine until after Lopez claimed his maiden Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with Diaz then serving as a coach for the Portuguese national team.

In 2010, Diaz returned as Lopez's full-time head coach, guiding him through the next 14 years and four more consecutive Olympic gold medals from London 2012 to Paris 2024, cementing his status as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time.

The 2024 Paris Olympics marked the final chapter of Lopez's storied career. After clinching his historic fifth title, he knelt to kiss the mat and left his shoes on the canvas - the universal ritual of retirement in wrestling.

"That moment was full of mixed emotions. I was overjoyed with the result, but also overwhelmed with sadness, because I had decided to close the book on my career," Lopez told Xinhua through an interpreter.

"I kissed the wrestling mat to express my gratitude for all the achievements in my wrestling career. This mat and my coach made me the champion I am today. I am thankful for all those days and nights we spent training together."

When asked whether Lopez would have won four more Olympic golds and completed the five-peat without his coaching, Diaz is quick to deflect the credit to his pupil's innate talent and unshakable character.

"Lopez is an exceptional athlete, one of a kind. What makes him great is not just his physical strength, but his mental fortitude," said Diaz. "He competes not for money or fame, but for his love for the Cuban people, wrestling and his family."

"He is family to me," Lopez said of his mentor. "A coach is more than an instructor; he is a guide who walks with you through every critical moment. I hope every athlete can experience this kind of profound connection."

Diaz recalled the words Lopez's father said to him on his deathbed: "Please, be a father to Lopez from now on." Over years of close companionship, the pair have become inseparable.

"I can no longer imagine my life without him," Diaz said.

Mijain LOPEZ (CUB)Reporter interviewing Mijain LOPEZ (center) and Shen SHIYAN (right), Spanish interpreter for the Chinese Greco-Roman team. (Photo: Xinhua News)

Lifetime to Understand China

For both men, China has never been a distant country. For Lopez, Beijing will always be the starting point of his legend. "I have an immense affection for China. It was here that I won my first Olympic gold, the medal that broke the ice and opened a whole new chapter of my career," he said.

Diaz's connection to China stretches back to childhood, with Chinese classmates and family friends. He still remembers the Chinese couple in Havana's Chinatown who always kept a meal warm for him.

"Those simple acts of kindness made me feel a deep closeness to Chinese people from the very beginning," Diaz recalled.

When Lopez stepped onto the mat in Beijing in 2008, Diaz watched with special pride - not just for his former pupil, but for a country he had long felt a bond with.

"The more you learn about China, the more you realize it may take a whole lifetime to truly understand this country," Diaz observed. "Chinese people are kind, honest and down-to-earth. Some countries refuse to see the real China out of prejudice, but there is no better way to know this country than to come here, to see it with your own eyes."

Passing the Torch

Diaz and Lopez have come to Beijing with a clear mission: to pass on decades of experience and training philosophy to help nurture China's next generation of wrestlers.

Zheng PAN (CHN), head coach of China's Greco-Roman team, noted that Diaz prioritizes efficiency in training. "We have more sessions now, but each is shorter. Raul always emphasizes that athletes must give their absolute all in every minute."

Diaz is full of praise for China's young wrestlers, citing their strength, speed, discipline, intelligence and work ethic. "The most important thing is to train with purpose and focus. Chinese wrestlers have every ability to compete with the top athletes in the world."

Lopez echoed his coach's optimism. "These young wrestlers have a bright future. We are here to give them that extra push, to help them stand firm on the world stage."

18 years ago, Lopez arrived in Beijing as a rising talent and left as an Olympic champion. Now they have returned together as legends, ready to pass on the torch and write a new chapter in the decades-long friendship between Cuban and Chinese wrestling.

In November 2025, Diaz received the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award. Standing beside him to share the honor was his star pupil. "That moment felt like a dream," Diaz said. "I want to give all my love for wrestling, my knowledge, and everything I have to this sport."