#WrestleAlmaty

Zorigt thwarts Indian gold rush as Tynybekova rues missing rivals in regaining 62kg title

By Ken Marantz

Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL) stopped an Indian gold rush on the final day of the women's competition at the Asian Championships with a stunning victory at 65kg on Friday that propelled Mongolia to victory in the team standings.

Zorigt, a three-time bronze medalist, moved to the top of the podium for the first time and denied Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Sakshi MALIK (IND) her first-ever Asian gold with a first-period fall in the final at Almaty's Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports.

Even with India getting gold medals from Vinesh VINESH (IND) at 50kg, Anshu ANSHU (IND) at 57kg and Divya KAKRAN (IND) at 68kg, Zorigt's victory proved the difference as Mongolia edged India for the team title, 173 points to 168. A gold is worth 25 points and a silver 20.

"I didn’t know that we can be champions because of my gold medal," said Zorigt, who was noticeably smiling beneath her mask as she received her well-earned gold during the medal ceremony in the crowdless arena. "Now I know and I can’t explain how happy I am."

Host Kazakhstan, which picked up a silver and two bronzes, finished third with 156 points.

World champion Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) captured the other gold at stake, cruising to victory at 62kg to regain the Asian title heading into the Tokyo Olympics and later acknowledging that the absence of her top rivals from the tournament took the luster off winning a fourth career gold.

Zorigt's victory showed just how quickly and wildly the tide can change in this sport. Zorigt had just worked out of a single leg attempt and, as the two came face to face, caught Malik with lightning-quick headlock throw to her back.

As Malik squirmed to break the grip and get loose, Zorigt abandonded the hold and flipped over to go chest-to-chest, and that was it for the Indian with the match ending at 1:51.

"It was a good final and the move is one of my favorites and I have used that before," Zorigt said. "It’s like my go-to move."

For Malik, the loss relegated her to a second straight silver medal and third overall, giving her a total of six Asian medals without a gold.

If any tournament was the one to finally strike gold, this was it, as powerhouses China and Japan, as well as the Democratic Republic of Korea, did not participate for pandemic-related reasons.

Vinesh and Anshu seized the opportunity by winning their maiden golds.

Vinesh, coming off a victory at last month's Matteo Pellicone tournament, made her eighth Asian medal a gold with a solid victory by fall over Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE) in the 53kg final.

Leading 4-0, Vinesh ran down a retreating Hsiech and bulled her to her back to end the match at 2:21.

"Everyone knows this is an Olympic year and it’s already my third competition so I am feeling good," said Vinesh, who earned a berth at the Tokyo Olympics by winning a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan.

"I have participated in, I think, eight Asian championships, and for the first time I am winning a gold medal. I had waited for this moment."

Inspired by her senior compatriot's victory, the 19-year-old Anshu relegated Battsetseg ALTANTSETSEG (MGL) to a silver medal for the third year in a row by scraping together a 3-0 victory in the 57kg final.

"Vinesh won a gold, then you also feel like winning it because one needs to understand the feeling of being a champion," Anshu said.

Anshu scored all of her points in the first period, notching an early takedown with a snap down and spin behind before adding a stepout. That was it for the scoring, as neither wrestler could penetrate the other's defenses.

"In the final, I was not looking to attack much because I had wrestled the same girl before," said Anshu, who defeated Altantsetseg in a round-robin group match earlier in the day.

Altantsetseg had finished second at 59kg in both 2019 and 2020. She also won a bronze at 57kg in 2018, a year after winning a silver at the world U-23.

Anshu's victory came in the wake of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics at the Asian Olympic qualifier held at the same venue last week, which led her to play it safe as she was also nursing injuries that caused her to default in Rome last month.

"I had a knee problem," she said. "The hamstring is also not good right now. I have been struggling with it since last month. So I just thought to not push much."

Despite the wear and tear, Anshu said she was able to wrestle relaxed, with the pressure of Olympic qualifying no longer a burden.

"In the qualifiers, my body was not responding nicely as there was a lot of travel fatigue and the weight cut was not planned," she said. "It was a tough week.

"In the championship, I was much more relaxed and I was wrestling freely. There was no pressure of qualifying for the Olympics as well. My father had advised me to wrestle how I wrestle in practice," she added.

Missing her absent rivals

Tynybekova was in control throughout the 62kg final, in which she methodically piled up points against Dolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) before scoring an 11-0 technical fall as time expired.

In the final, Tynybekova scored a stepout and a pair of takedowns in the first period. In the second, she used an unpenetrable defense to add to her tally, scoring four points on a pair of counter lifts after Khurelkuu shot in on a single leg, then nonchalantly ended it by scoring a 2-point exposure off a Khurelkuu takedown attempt as the clock ran out.

She later revealed that she had been battling an illness and was only operating at "30 percent" physical capacity.

"At the end of the last week I was ill and I had some problems with my throat," said Tynybekova, who will aim for the gold in Tokyo after finishing fifth at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

"For the last week, I could not train because of my illness. I began training only in Almaty and I think the result is better than my expectations. It could have been worse because my condition was not good."

But what Tynybekova acknowledged was just as debilitating was the absence of the Japanese and Chinese wrestlers -- which meant missing out an another possible clash with rival Yukako KAWAI (JPN), who had planned to be in Almaty to defend her title.

The Japanese women's team withdrew just before flying to Almaty after suspected exposure to someone infected with the coronavirus. The Chinese could not participate because they had to undergo coronavirus testing arranged by the Chinese embassy.

"Before the Asian Championships, we were preparing for the bouts against Japan and China," she said. "They are the best and we had only them in mind. To be honest, this doesn't feel like the Asian Championships without them. It is only like some international tournament for Asian teams.

"The emotions are not the same when they are not here. When I go to the mat, I know can beat them, so the emotions are not that strong as they would have been against Japan and China. None of the opponents were as strong as those countries and it was not that enjoyable for me to wrestle."

AIsuluu Tynybekova

Kakran, who had already clinched the 72kg title after winning her first two matches in the early session, capped her run to the top of the medal podium with a quick and creative victory by fall over Sujin PARK (KOR) in their final round-robin match.

Kakran used a barrel roll to flip Park onto her back, then kept her back to Park's chest while keeping an arm locked to secure the fall in just 27 seconds. The 2020 champion at 68kg, Kakran became the second two-time Asian women's champion in Indian history -- a day after SARITA (IND) became the first with a victory at 57kg.

Following Kakran's win, dethroned defending champion Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) won a battle for the silver medal with a 9-2 victory over Tsevegmed ENKHBAYAR (MGL), who will take home the bronze medal.

It was a less-dominant repeat of Bakbergenova's 10-0 win over the Mongolian in the semifinals at last year's Asian Championships en route to the gold.

Altynay SATYLGAN (KAZ) picked up her second straight Asian bronze medal when she scored with a counter and a takedown in the second period for a 4-1 victory over Shinhye LEE (KOR) at 57kg.

Rushana ABDIRASULOVA (UZB) pulled a rabbit out of the hat to claim the 62kg bronze, using an underhook throw with a minute to go to flip over Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ) for 4 points and a 4-4 victory on criteria.

At 65kg, Hanbit LEE (KOR) added to the bronze she won in 2018 by beating Hsin Ping PAI (TPE) 6-1, while Assylzat SAGYMBAY (KAZ) won the 53kg bronze by default.

Next up on the schedule is freestyle, with competition Saturday in the 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 79kg and 97kg weight classes. The finalists from two weight classes -- Ravi KUMAR (IND) and Hikmatullo VOKHIDOV (TJK) at 57kg and fierce rivals Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and Bajrang PUNIA (IND) at 65kg -- are entered this year and in opposite brackets, meaning potential clashes for the title again.

Day 4 Results Women's Wrestling

Finals

53kg (6 entries)
GOLD - Vinesh VINESH (IND) df. Meng Hsuan HSIEH (TPE) by Fall, 2:21 (6-0)
BRONZE - Assylzat SAGYMBAY (KAZ) df. Hyunyoung OH (KOR) by Default

57kg (7 entries)
GOLD - Anshu ANSHU (IND) df. Battsetseg ALTANTSETSEG (MGL), 3-0
BRONZE - Altynay SATYLGAN (KAZ) df. Shinhye LEE (KOR), 4-1

62kg (7 entries)
GOLD - Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) df. Dolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL) by TF, 11-0, 6:00
BRONZE - Rushana ABDIRASULOVA (UZB) df. Irina KUZNETSOVA (KAZ), 4-4

65kg (6 entries)
GOLD - Bolortungalag ZORIGT (MGL) df. Sakshi MALIK (IND) by Fall, 1:51 (4-0)
BRONZE - Hanbit LEE (KOR) df. Hsin Ping PAI (TPE), 6-1

72kg (4 entries)
GOLD - Divya KAKRAN (IND) 3-0
SILVER - Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) 2-1
BRONZE - Tsevegmed ENKHBAYAR (MGL) 1-1
Key match: Divya KAKRAN (IND) df. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), 8-5, in Round 2

#WrestleAlmaty

Munkhbold clinches women's 55kg gold with match to spare as Tokyo-bound trio advance to finals

By Ken Marantz

After moving up from the bronze to silver last year, Dulguun MUNKHBOLD (MGL) assured that she would finish on top of the medal podium at this year's Asian Championships with a match to spare.

The women's competition, diluted by the absences of powerhouses Japan China as well as the People's Republic of Korea, got underway Thursday at the spectator-less Baluan Sholak Palace of Culture and Sports with all of the five weight classes in action having six entries or less.

The 55kg division, with just four participants, is being run as a straight round-robin with no semifinals or final. By winning both of her matches in the afternoon session by fall, Munkhbold clinched the gold regardless of the outcome of her final match in the night session.

"I definitely wanted to win the gold medal here and I still have a bout remaining which I would
like to win," Munkhbold said. "I saw some of [my opponents'] videos, but I have never wrestled them before. I love to win by falls. It's a great feeling."

Meanwhile, Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ), who came to Almaty already in possession of a berth at the Tokyo Olympics, and Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), who clinched spots at the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament held last week at this venue, all earned a chance to leave the Kazakh city with a continental crown.

Islamova Brik, who secured a ticket to Tokyo by placing third at 50kg at the 2019 World Championships in Nursultan, made mince meat of the competition, winning both of her group
matches by fall, then decking Yung Hsun LIN (TPE) in just :23 in the semifinals.

"I have qualified for the Olympics and till then, every tournament I will prepare for will be a
practice tournament for me," Islamova Brik said.

In the final, the Russian-born Islamova Brik will aim for a first career Asian gold after winning bronzes the past two years when she takes on Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB), who edged Seema SEEMA (IND) 3-2 in the other semifinal.

"I have never won the Asian Championships," Islamova Brik said. "I always finished with a bronze medal. So it's good to be in the final and hopefully win the gold medal."

As for the "secret" of her powerful display today, she replied, "My body feels very good. My training has been at a level where I can say that I am fully fit."

Zhumanazarova, a 2019 Asian bronze medalist coming off a successful run in the Asian Olympic qualifier at 68kg, will battle for the gold in that weight class against 2018 world junior silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL).

"The last month I was training at my center in Kyrgyzstan and before the Asian qualifiers, so it has been good training for the last month," said Zhumanazarova, the 2019 world junior silver medalist. "The hard work paid off as I qualified for the Olympics and now I am in the final of the Asian Championships."

Zhumanazarova chalked up a pair of technical falls before using a lift-and-dump to score a semifinal victory by fall in 4:11 over Eun Sun JEONG (KOR). Enkhsaikhan advanced to the final with a 10-0 technical fall in 2:09 over Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB).

"I thought I was mentally very strong today and the preparation was up to the mark," Zhumanazarova said. "Every day and every tournament, I prepare in a certain manner and it has worked well for me. Let's see what happens in the final."

Jeong had earned her spot in the semifinals with a remarkable comeback against Nisha NISHA (IND). Trailing 6-0, Jeong took the Indian to the mat with a headlock with 1:10 left, then secured a fall with :17 remaining on the clock.

Medet Kyzy, Tokyo-bound after winning at 76kg in the Asian Olympic qualifier, will look to improve on the silver medal she won last year in New Delhi when she faces 2020 bronze medalist Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) in a rematch of their group encounter.

Both wrestlers sailed into the final with dominant victories, as Medet Kyzy followed a takedown with four straight rolls for a 10-0 technical fall over Seoyeon JEONG (KOR) in 1:41, while Syzdykova took a half-minute less to put away Pooja POOJA (IND) by fall after slamming her to the mat by lateral drop.

In their group match, Medet Kyzy scored two takedowns in the second period to secure a 6-1 victory.

Sarita SARITA (IND), the lone defending champion in action Thursday, went down to defeat in
a group match at 59kg, but earned a shot at revenge and the gold when she set up a final clash with two-time world bronze medalist Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL).

Baatarjav battled to a razor-thin 5-4 victory over Sarita in their opening match of the day, then
the two dominated all others to advance to the final.

In the semifinals, Sarita swept past Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ), winning by 11-0 technical fall in 1:35 with a succession of gut wrenches, while Baatarjav gained 4 points with a slick fireman's carry en route to a 10-0 technical fall in 2:08 over Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB).

Sarita, the 2017 Asian silver medalist, will be looking to become the first Indian to defend an Asian title. For Baatarjav, the final gives her a chance for an elusive senior Asian gold after winning a silver in 2014 and bronze in 2018.

At 55kg, Munkhbold can avoid having the title decided on tiebreaking criteria if, as expected, she defeats winless Hyungjoo KIM (KOR) in the final group match.

If the Mongolian loses, she will finish with a 2-1 record and tied with the winner of the match between Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB) and Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ). But because Munkhbold has beaten both of them, she will get the gold based on the head-to head result.

Kim, who appeared at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and is still going strong at 36, suffered a pair of close losses that dropped her out of title contention. She lost a 5-5 decision to Ualishan, then fell 5-3 to Usmonjonova.

The tournament received the stunning news last week that the Japanese women's team would not be coming after an unspecified number of team members were suspected of coming into contact with someone infected with the coronavirus. The announcement came just before the team was to fly to Almaty.

The Chinese women pulled out as they were undergoing two days of testing arranged by the Chinese embassy, a team official said. The team was to leave from Kazakhstan on Thursday night.

Day 3 Results

Women's Wrestling Semifinals

50kg (6 entries)
Valentina ISLAMOVA BRIK (KAZ) df. Yung Hsun LIN (TPE) by Fall, :23 (4-0)
Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB) df. Seema SEEMA (IND), 3-2

55kg (4 entries)
Standings (after 2 rounds)
1. Dulguun MUNKHBOLD (MGL), 2-0; 2. Madina USMONJONOVA (UZB), 1-1; 3. Aisha UALISHAN (KAZ), 1-1; 4. Hyungjoo KIM (KOR), 0-2.
Munkhbold clinched gold medal

59kg (6 entries)
Shoovdor BAATARJAV (MGL) df. Dilfuza AIMBETOVA (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 2:08
Sarita SARITA (IND) df. Nuraida ANARKULOVA (KGZ) by TF, 11-0, 1:35

68kg (6 entries)
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Eun Sun JEONG (KOR) by Fall, 4:11 (6-0)
Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) df. Azoda ESBERGENOVA (UZB) by TF, 10-0, 2:09

76kg (6 entries)
Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ) df. Pooja POOJA (IND) by Fall, 1:11 (4-0)
Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) vs Seoyeon JEONG (KOR) by TF, 10-0, 1:41