#WrestleAlmaty

Yazdani, Punia to clash for Asian 86kg title as Iran, host Kazakhstan put 3 each in finals

Sunday, April 18, 2021 - 10:14 By Ken Marantz

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Two years after superstar Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) and up-and-coming Deepak PUNIA (IND) were slated to meet for the world title in a match that never came about, the two will finally tangle with an Asian gold on the line.

Yazdani, the reigning world and Olympic champion, and Punia both won their semifinal matches at 86kg during the early session to set up the long-delayed clash when the six-day Asian Championships wrap up with five freestyle finals on Sunday night in Almaty.

"I have not wrestled for one and a half years and I thought I should test myself in a lighter competition," said Yazdani, who won the gold in his only other appearance at the Asian Championships in 2018. "This is just to check how my body is and if it is ready. Thankfully, it was great start from the first bout today."

Yazdani is one of three Iranians in the finals, along with 2020 bronze medalist Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) at 74kg and Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI), who will aim to add the 92kg gold to the one he won at 86kg in 2019.

Host Kazakhstan, led by 2019 world silver medalist Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) at 74kg, also has three finalists, while Uzbekistan, India, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan have one each.

Punia, the 2018 world junior silver medalist, caught the wrestling world's attention when he made an impressive run into the final at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, which also served as the initial qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics.

However, he conceded the gold to Yazdani after being forced to default the final due to a left ankle injury suffered in his opening match.

"Definitely I will wrestle in the final," Punia said. "I missed a chance to wrestle him before because I was injured. It is always good to wrestle a good wrestler and that, too, when you know that you can meet him in the Olympics."

In getting another shot at one of the premier wrestlers in the world today by making the final in Almaty, Punia will have to lift his game much higher than what he showed in the early session.

Punia, the bronze medalist a year ago in New Delhi, could only manage a pair of activity-clock points in defeating Gwanuk KIM (KOR) 2-0 in the semifinals. That came after struggling to edge Bakhodur KODIROV (TJK) 4-3 in the quarterfinals.

"My body is still recovering from the fatigue of travel," Punia said.

Yazdani, on the other hand, was never challenged in chalking up a pair of technical fall victories.

The Iranian, who last lost in the first round of the 2018 World Championships, advanced to the final with an 10-0 rout in 2:53 of a valiant but overmatched Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRQ), methodically scoring four takedowns and adding a gut wrench after the final one.

Al Obaidi showed remarkable resilience in chalking up a wild 12-11 victory in the quarterfinals over Mirlan CHYNYBEKOV (KGZ). Al Obaidi, who fell behind after blowing an 8-2 lead, came through with a takedown with 7 seconds left for the win.

Like Yazdani, Ghasempour advanced to the 92kg final riding a pair of technical falls. In the semifinals, he built up a 9-0 lead in the first period against Rustam SHODIEV (UZB) before finishing him off with a takedown early in the second.

Standing in his way to the gold is 2020 bronze medalist Tsogtgerel MUNKHBAATAR (MGL), who scored a 4-point takedown with 30 seconds left to clinch a 7-2 win over Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ) in the other semifinal.

A number of the most exciting bouts of the day came at 125kg, where the massive combatants dispelled the notion of their weight class being one of plodding affairs. Certainly not when one match has 33 points.

Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) prevented Iran from having a fourth finalist with a stunning victory by fall over Amin TAHERI (IRI), slamming his opponent to the mat after falling behind 6-0.

In the final, he will face Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ), who chalked up a 3-0 victory over Amirjon NUTFULLAEV (UZB), who certainly must wish he had saved some of the 30 points he had scored in his first two matches.

Lazarev, who missed out on earning a place at Tokyo Olympics at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament held last week in the same venue, spotted 2018 world U-23 bronze medalist Taheri a 6-point lead when the Iranian scored a takedown and two gut wrenches.

But Lazarev coolly locked up an arm and the head in the standing position, then slammed a stunned Taheri to the mat, securing the fall at 2:43.

"I was waiting for his attacks but I tried to control and catch his movement for my attack," Lazarev said. "I will do my best in the final to display what I can do with my wrestling. The result will only be seen on the mat."

Boltin, a Japan national collegiate champion when he competed at Yamanashi Gakuin University, gained an activity point in the first period, then added a driving tackle for 2 in the second to defeat Nutfullaev.

"I am wrestling at home so I wanted to perform good and make everyone happy," Boltin said. "I am feeling very good before every bout."

Boltin's day was not without its drama. In the quarterfinals, he had a slim lead over Sumit MALIK (IND) in the dying seconds when the Indian had a leg and was nearing a takedown. But Boltin hit a desperate back roll and lift for 4 points and a 7-1 win.

"The second bout against Sumit was very difficult because he was very strong," said Boltin, who started his day by scoring a takedown with 8 seconds left to knock off 2020 silver medalist Khunderbulga DORJKHAND (MGL) 3-2 in his opening match.

But nothing compares to what Nutfallaev went through earlier. After rallying for an 11-6 victory over Taiki YAMAMOTO (JPN), the Uzbek got into a free-wheeling shootout with Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK).

Nufallaev came back from 8-1 down to go up 12-9 at one point, then finished up a 19-12 win with a takedown and two rolls.

"Yes, I am very tired," Nutfallaev said. "My opponents were very good. I have not trained too much and I know that I need a lot of training and improvements to win.

"I had prepared well for the Kazak wrestler, but Boltin was very good in the semifinals."

As 74kg, Kaipanov kept on track to add to his 2018 Asian gold when his two takedowns trumped the two stepouts by Sumiyabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL) in a 4-2 victory.

In the other semifinal, Hosseinkhani advanced with an 11-0 technical fall over Atamyrat CHARLYYEV (TKM) as he looks to make his fifth Asian medal the third gold of his career.

The 61kg final will be a clash between 2017 Asian junior champion Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB) and Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ).

Turobov defeated Sunggwon KIM (KOR) 4-0, while Askarov came out a 7-4 winner over Ravinder DAHIYA (IND), a fellow silver medalist (in different weight classes) at the 2019 World U-23 Championships.

Day 6 Results Freestyle

Semifinals

61kg
Jahongirmirza TUROBOV (UZB) df. Sunggwon KIM (KOR), 4-0
Adlan ASKAROV (KAZ) df. Ravinder DAHIYA (IND), 7-4

74kg
Nurkozha KAIPANOV (KAZ) df. Sumiyabazar ZANDANBUD (MGL), 4-2
Mostafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI) df. Atamyrat CHARLYYEV (TKM) by TF, 11-0, 3:57

86kg
Hassan YAZDANI (IRI) df. Mustafa AL OBAIDI (IRQ) by TF, 10-0, 2:52
Deepak PUNIA (IND) df. Gwanuk KIM (KOR), 2-0

92kg
Tsogtgerel MUNKHBAATAR (MGL) df. Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ), 7-2
Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) df. Rustam SHODIEV (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 3:25

125kg
Aiaal LAZAREV (KGZ) df. Amin TAHERI (IRI) by Fall, 2:42 (4-6)
Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) df. Amirjon NUTFULLAEV (UZB), 3-0

#JapanWrestling

Two-time Olympic champ Risako Kinjo brings curtain down on stellar career

Sunday, October 12, 2025 - 23:14 By Ken Marantz

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TOKYO, Japan (October 12) -- Risako KINJO (JPN), who won two Olympic gold medals under her maiden name of Kawai before capturing a fourth world title last year after giving birth, officially announced her retirement over the weekend.

"I felt that I had experienced everything that was good about being a wrestler," the 31-year-old Kinjo told the Japanese media Sunday on bringing down the curtain on one of wrestling's most sterling careers. "I felt fulfilled and happy with a life in which wrestling was my passion."

Kinjo also revealed that she is pregnant with her second child as she spoke to the media at the Japan Women's Open in Akitsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where she was coaching younger sister Yukako TSUNEMURA (JPN), who was returning to the mat for the first time since becoming a mother herself.

Kinjo first announced her retirement on her Instagram account on Saturday night, stating that in the 24 years since she started wrestling at age 7, "I have had good experiences and bad, highs and lows. But to win four world championships and two consecutive Olympics was all due to the support and encouragement of many people. I thank them all."

Kinjo first struck Olympic gold at 63kg at Rio in 2016, then won out in a duel that captivated the wrestling world with fellow Rio and four-time Olympic champion Kaori ICHO (JPN) for the 57kg spot at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where she took home a second gold.

Of the clash of the titans with Icho, Kawai remarked, "I had no more difficult period than that. I'm glad I was able to experience it."

In the Tokyo semifinals, Kinjo had to face yet another Rio gold medalist in Helen MAROULIS (USA), who had moved up from 53kg. Kinjo came away with a 2-1 win, then defeated Iryna KURACHKINA (UWW) 5-0 for the gold.

With Yukako also winning the 62kg gold, it elevated the Kawai sisters to celebrity status in the host country. The two got their start in the sport at the kids' club run by their mother. Both of their parents were national-level wrestlers.

Soon after Tokyo, Risako married former wrestler Kiryu KINJO, and in May 2022, gave birth to a baby girl. Instead of settling down to a domestic life, motherhood lit a fresh flame to continue the sport.

"I had originally planned to win the Tokyo Olympics and then retire gracefully," Kinjo said. "I even told people around me that I would quit after the Tokyo Olympics. But when I got married and got pregnant, I felt that my body wasn't only my own, and I wanted to continue wrestling.

"While I was pregnant, I watched Yukako's matches and thought to myself, 'If it were me, I would do it like this,' so after my child was born, I decided to try it again."

Her bid to win a third straight Olympic gold in Paris, however, was derailed by the reigning world 57kg champion Tsugumi SAKURAI (JPN), who went on to triumph in the French capital.

Rebuffing speculation that the loss would mark her swan song, she showed her passion for the sport by sticking around. With the incentive of wanting to have her daughter see her compete and make some history, she had no qualms about moving into the non-Olympic weight of 59kg.

She suffered a setback of sorts at the Asian Championships in April 2024, when she lost to Qi ZHANG (CHN) in the semifinals and had to settle for a bronze medal.

But she righted the ship at the Non-Olympic Weight World Championships in October that year in Tirana, Albania, where she cruised into the 59kg final and defeated Tserenchimed SUKHEE (MGL) 4-2.

"No one from Japan had ever achieved becoming a 'world No. 1 as a mama', and it would be ideal if I could do it," Kinjo recalled thinking. "When I accomplished it at the World Championships last October, as soon as it was over I thought there is nothing else that I want."

That victory added to the three consecutive senior world golds that she won from 2017 to 2019. She also has a silver from 2015, and her laurels include a world cadet (U17) gold and two world junior (U20) titles, and she was a four-time Asian champion.

Kinjo was a star at Shigakkan University during its golden era as the elite powerhouse of women's wrestling in Japan, also producing such greats as Icho, Saori YOSHIDA (JPN), Eri TOSAKA (JPN), Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) and Sara DOSHO (JPN).

Looking ahead, she says her focus will be on raising her new baby while staying involved in the sport.

"Right now I am eight months pregnant, and first and foremost I will put my full efforts into proper childcare. And at the same time, I will be Yukako's coach and always maintain a link to wrestling," she said.

At the Japan Women's Open, a second-tier event that offers qualifying spots at the All-Japan Championships, Yukako showed she still has some rust to be knocked off. Entered at 59kg, she won her first two matches before falling to high schooler Miuna KIMURA (JPN) 4-1 in the semifinals.

The tournament also saw the return of Sakurai for her first competition since winning the gold in Paris. She needed three wins to take the 57kg title, defeating collegian Himeka HASEGAWA (JPN) 5-0 in the final.