#WrestleAlmaty

Ryu Grabs Ticket to Tokyo While Kyrgyzstan Secures Three Olympic Spots

By Ken Marantz

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (April 9) --- Veteran Hansu RYU (KOR) earned another shot at the Olympics, while Kyrgyzstan grabbed three spots at the Tokyo Games as the Greco-Roman competition kicked off the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament on Friday.

Ryu, a 33-year-old former world champion, punched his ticket to Tokyo this summer when he advanced to the semifinals at 67kg, clinching one of the two berth available at the continental qualifier at Almaty's Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports.

Iran's bid to fill out its dance card in Greco-Roman at Tokyo came up one short when 2019 Asian champion Hossein NOURI (IRI) was dealt a heartbreaking 4-4 defeat by Fei PENG (CHN) in the 87kg semifinals.

Iran, which had already secured three Greco berths at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, picked up two of the three other spots with semifinal runs by Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) at 67kg and Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) at 97kg.

China and Korea also captured two Olympic berths, while host Kazakhstan, Olympic host Japan and Uzbekistan grabbed one each.

Ryu, last year's Asian champion who placed fifth at the Rio 2016 Olympics, advanced to the final in the night session with an impressive victory by fall over Aram VARDANYAN (UZB), the 2019 world silver medalist at 72kg.

Twice Ryu scored a takedown, then used a high chest wrench to score with a roll and build an 8-0 lead. After the second combination, Vardanyan conceded  allowing the fall at 1:21.

Ryu missed out on qualifying at the Nursultan worlds when he lost close decisions to eventual champion Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) and Frank STAEBLER (GER).

In the final, he will face Geraei, the 2019 world U-23 and Asian champion who advanced with a fall and two technical falls, the last a 9-1 rout of Ashu ASHU (IND) in the semifinals.

"It's great to qualify here and I am ready for the Tokyo Olympics," Geraei said. "It's always great to be a champion. My brother (Mohammadali GERAEI, 77kg) qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and he is a champion as well. He got it in Nursultan and I did it in Almaty. We will now do well in Tokyo."

Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) led the Kyrgyz trio of semifinalists when the 2020 Asian silver medalist upended Gyandender GYANDENDER (IND) 6-1 in the 60kg semifinals.

He will take on 2018 world bronze medalist Sailike WALIHAN (CHN), who capped a 10-0 technical fall victory over Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK) with a mighty 4-point throw.

Later, Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) and Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) joined their compatriot with semifinal victories at 77kg and 97kg, respectively. Makhmudov manhandled Singh GURPREET (IND) with a pair of 4-point bear-hug throws in an 8-2 win, while Dzhuzupbekov unleashed a 4-point throw from par terre position in a 6-0 victory over Seyeol LEE (KOR).

"It was a dream to qualify for the Olympics since childhood," Makhmudov said. "When I was old enough to understand things, I only thought about the Olympics. The semifinal was exactly how I planned to wrestle. I think it was one of my best bouts."

Makhumudov will next face Shohei YABIKU (JPN), who salvaged an otherwise tough day for the Olympic host nation by beating Hujun ZHANG (CHN), 6-2. Coming into Almaty, Japan had qualified in only one Greco weight, 60kg from world champion Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN).

Kyrgyzstan came across the border also having  secured only one Olympic spot in Greco, at 87kg, at the World Championships, and will now return with four, tied with Uzbekistan.

Next up for Dzhuzupbekov will be 2020 Asian champion Saravi, who advanced with a 10-2 technical fall over Yanan CHEN (CHN).

China's Peng will be heading to his second Olympics after a stunning reversal of fortune against Nouri. Trailing 4-0 in the second period, Peng was being driven backward when he hit a last-ditch back drop that sent the Iranian to his back for 4 points and a victory by criteria.

"I didn't plan anything for the semfinal, I just wrestled normal," said Peng, a 2018 Asian bronze medalist. "I have lost to him many times in the past so it was great to win. I am excited for Tokyo."

Awaiting him in the final will be 30-year-old Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ), who pulled off a little late-match magic of his own -- not once, but twice. After having to rally to defeat Masato SUMI (JPN) 5-3 in the quarterfinals, Tursynov stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat 2020 Asian champion Kumar SUNIL (IND), 9-5, with a big 4-point throw being the decisive move.

The most dominant performance of the day was turned in by Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) at 130kg. With the weight class split into round-robin groups, Abdullaev made short work of his three group opponents, scoring a fall and two technical falls, then trounced Lingzhe MENG (CHN) by 9-0 technical fall in the semifinals. None of his four matches lasted more than two minutes.

Minseok KIM (KOR) gave Korea a second Olympic spot by defeating Naveen NAVEEN (IND), 7-1, in the other semifinal.

The competition continues with women's wrestling on Saturday and freestyle on Sunday.

Greco-Roman semifinal results:

60kg
Sailike WALIHAN (CHN) df. Firuz MIRZORAJABOV (TJK) by TF, 10-0 (4:25)
Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) df. Gyandender GYANDENDER (IND), 6-1

67kg
Hansu RYU (KOR) df. Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) by Fall, 1:21 (8-0)
Mohammadreza GERAEI (IRI) df. Ashu ASHU (IND) by TF, 9-1 (2:07)

77kg
Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Singh GURPREET (IND), 8-2
Shohei YABIKU (JPN) df. Hujun ZHANG (CHN), 6-2

87kg
Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Kumar SUNIL (IND), 9-5
Fei PENG (CHN) df. Hossein NOURI (IRI), 4-4

97kg
Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yanan CHEN (CHN) by TF, 10-2 (4:32)
Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ) df. Seyeol LEE (KOR), 6-0

130kg
Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN) by TF, 9-0 (1:53)
Minseok KIM (KOR) df. Naveen NAVEEN (IND), 7-1

#WrestleAlmaty

Sarita Defends 59kg Crown to Become India's 1st Two-Time Asian Women's Champion

By Ken Marantz

Sarita SARITA (IND) became the first Indian woman in history to win a second Asian gold medal when she defeated an opponent who had beaten her earlier in the day.

And she did it after coming back from a five-point hole.

Sarita defended her 59kg crown by rallying to a 10-7 victory in the final Thursday night over two-time world bronze medalist Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) on the third day of the six-day Asian Championships in Almaty.

"I had won the gold medal in 59 in Delhi and I am the first Indian to defend my title," said Sarita, who turns 26 on Friday. "Last year as well, I had beaten a Mongolian wrestler and now also I did the same. To get my country's flag on the top in a foreign country is the proudest moment."

With the women's tournament at the spectator-less Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports missing powerhouses Japan and China, limited entries means all weight classes are conducted in round-robin formats.

Sarita and Baatarjav were drawn in the same group, with the Mongolian winning their first encounter 5-4 before they set up the rematch in the final with one-sided wins in the semifinals.

Sarita was familiar with Baatarjav even before the afternoon match. The Mongolian had beaten her 10-0 in the quarterfinals at the 2018 World Championships en route to the first of consecutive bronze medals.

"I had that in mind, but I also wanted to win the gold medal for myself and India," Sarita said.

In the final, Sarita scored with a stepout before Baatarjav replied with a double-leg takedown for a 2-0 lead. Early in the second period, Baatarjav launched a hip throw at the edge that was awarded 2 points and was challenged by the Indian side -- only to have the points revised to 4, with a lost-challenge point added, to give the Mongolian a 7-2 lead.

"When she scored a 4-pointer, I thought that's big," Sarita said. "I don't think it was 4. But it was okay, and I thought I have to cover that if I want to win.

"Even in the morning I had thought that I have to wrestle hard for six minutes if I want to win. There is nothing left once the bout finishes. I had to keep wrestling."

Undaunted, Sarita closed the gap with a takedown and 2-point tilt. As the end of the match neared, Sarita caught Baatarjav with a back trip for 4 with :15 left to go ahead. An unsuccessful challenge finalized the score at 10-7.

Heading into the final, Sarita said she brainstormed with her coaches to come up with a strategy to finally vanquish her nemesis.

"I learned about her weak areas and my mistakes after [the first] bout and the coaches had a word with me to correct all that," Sarita said. "We had to improve certain things and attack in a different manner. I did all that and won."

In other action, world bronze medalist Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) made the most of the missing East Asians by storming to her first Asian gold with a 10-0 technical fall in the 50kg final over Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB).

The Russian-born Islamova Brik, who secured a berth at the Tokyo Olympics with her third-place finish at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, scored an early takedown, then clamped down countering an arm throw attempt by Immaeva and rolled her back-and-forth four times to end the match in 1:43.

"I am feeling wonderful because this is the first time I became the Asian champion, and at home, too, so it's exciting," said the 29-year-old Islamova Brik, the mother of a 7-year-old son who won consecutive Asian bronzes in 2019 and 2020.

"Before the final, I was very nervous because I was under pressure to wrestle at home and win here. Thankfully I did it. This medal I will celebrate with my husband who is also my coach."

Asked which she treasures more, her world bronze or newly won Asian gold, Islamova Brik replied, "Both medals are very important and I can't answer that question. But if I had to choose one, it will be world bronze because it gave me a chance to go to Olympics."

Two wrestlers who earned Tokyo Olympic spots at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament, which preceded the Asian Championships at the same venue, both made it to the finals, but only one joined Greco-Roman star Hansu RYU (KOR) by achieving an Almaty double and adding the Asian gold.

Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ), who secured a ticket to Tokyo at 68kg, added the Asian senior title to three golds she won on the junior level by calmly defeating Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) 6-1 in the final.

"Many people have told me that I am always relaxed and don't feel any emotions," Zhumanazarova said. "My coach is a very relaxed person, so maybe I copy him and am relaxed as well. When I am going for something big, I always try to be relaxed and not worry."

Zhumanazarova, a 2019 world junior champion, had a 1-0 lead when she was put on the activity clock. But she kept her composure and scored a lift-and-drop takedown, then padded her lead with a second takedown and a stepout.

Any celebrating, however, is on hold for now.

"For me, it's the mat and then we eat and sleep, and that's all. I don't do anything else," Zhumanazarova said. "There is no party or anything until I win the Olympics gold. That's my main goal.

"Yes, there are strong opponents in 68kg, but in sports, anything can happen and we have seen it in history that any strong sportsperson can lose. I think anyone who is in strong physical form will win in Olympics."

Olympic qualifier Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ)  saw her bid for an Almaty double at 76kg quashed when Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) used the move-of-the-day to score a victory by fall in the final.

Medet Kyzy had Syzdykova's leg in the air when the Kazakh suddenly jumped and kicked out a leg while rolling back, which flipped Medet Kyzy onto her back. Syzdykova then clamped down for a fall in 1:48.

"The final was a tough bout as I had only three weeks of training and we were helping the Kazakhstan team to qualify for Olympics," Syzdykova said. "But my coach said that we have to go for it and win. I was wrestling only tactically and next time I’ll do better."

For Syzdykova, the victory avenged a 6-1 loss to Medet Kyzy in the group stage, and gave her a first gold among six career Asian medals. It was also her first major title since moving up to 76kg in 2018.

"I won the Olympic medal at 69, but now cutting the weight is not good for me so I changed," she said. "I have been wrestling for 16 years and I don’t know what else to do. I love it."

Dulguun MUNKHBOLD (MGL), who had already clinched the 55kg title with a pair of falls in the afternoon session, capped her run to a first Asian gold with a third pin, decking Hyungjoo KIM (KOR) at 2:41 after leading 5-0.

Munkhbold, in progressing from Asian bronze medalist in 2019 and silver medalist last year, sprawled at the edge to counter a Kim tackle, then reversed gears and bulled her onto her back.

With that result, the final match of the 55kg round-robin suddenly became a showdown for the silver and bronze medals, and Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB) came away with the glitzier hardware.

Usmonjonova twice stuffed a front headlock throw attempt by Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ), and clamped down after the second one to secure a fall with :36 left in the match and a 4-1 lead.

India came away with two bronze medals, with Seema SEEMA (IND) winning at 50kg -- the day after turning 29 -- with a 10-0 technical fall over Yung Hsun LIN (TPE), and Pooja POOJA (IND) beating Seoyeon JEONG (KOR) 5-2 at 76kg in a repeat of their match at the Asian Olympic qualifier, where neither finished in the top two.

Nine years after winning an Asian junior bronze, Eun Sun JEONG (KOR) earned a senior one with a 7-2 win at 68kg over Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB).

Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ), a 2019 world junior bronze medalist, took the 59kg bronze by beating Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB) 7-0.

The women's tournament finishes up Friday with competition in the 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg and 72kg divisions.

The day will see a clash between reigning champions, as Divya KAKRAN (IND), the 2020 champion at 68kg, has moved up to 72kg and is looking to dethrone Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ). The two will face each other in the second round of the four-woman round-robin.

Day 3 Finals

Women's Wrestling

50kg (6 entries)
GOLD - Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) df. Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 1:43
BRONZE - Seema SEEMA (IND) df. Yung Hsun LIN (TPE) by TF, 10-0, 2:17

55kg (4 entries)
GOLD - Dulguun MUNKHBOLD (MGL), 3-0
SILVER - Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB), 2-1
BRONZE - Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ), 1-2
Key match: Dulguun MUNKHBOLD (MGL) df. Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB) by Fall, 5:23 (14-0) in Round 1

59kg (6 entries)
GOLD - Sarita SARITA (IND) df. Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL), 10-7
BRONZE - Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ) df. Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB), 7-0

68kg (6 entries)
GOLD - Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL), 6-1
BRONZE - Eun Sun JEONG (KOR) df. Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB), 7-2

76kg (6 entries)
GOLD - Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) by Fall, 1:48 (4-0)
BRONZE - Pooja POOJA (IND) df. Seoyeon JEONG (KOR), 5-2