Iran, Bahrain and India dominate

Iran and Bahrain managed to put three wrestler each in the finals of Asian Championships in Bishkek. India also continued its good show and put two wrestlers in the gold medal bouts later today.

Shamil Sharipov of Bahrain with a fall in 41 seconds over India’s Dinesh qualified for the 125kg final. He hit a double leg attack straight off the whistle and then worked the fall.

Reigning world champion Amir Hossein Zare of Iran stands in is way in the final. Zare went of the offensive in the second period and powered to a 5-0 victory over China’s Buheerdun, giving the Iranian a chance for a second Asian gold in his second appearance after winning in 2024.

With neither giant able to muster anything resembling a scoring opportunity, Zare scored the lone point of the first period via the activity clock. But Zare took the initiative in the second period, bulling Buheeerdun to the mat for a takedown, then adding a gut wrench to make it 5-0.

At one point, Zare shot for a takedown and Buheeerdun knocked him off balance, but could not convert the opening. It was a better showing for Buheeerdun than the last time they met, when Zare whipped him 10-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Games.

In the 92kg semifinals, two-time bronze medalist Magomed Sharipov of Bahrain became another first-time finalist in Bishkek with a workmanlike 8-0 victory over Asian U20 bronze medalist Iakov Chaplin of Kyrgyzstan.

Sharipov took a 2-0 lead when he scored a step-out just seconds after the activity clock ran out on Chaplin for the lone points of the first period. In the second, Sharipov came out firing and scored a takedown with a driving tackle. He used his power again for a second, countering a take-down attempt by blocking a leg and driving ahead, then got behind for his third take-down of the period to make it 8-0. 

U23 world champion Mobin Azimi of Iran earned a shot at his first senior Asian title after he won 6-0 against Kazakhstan’s Azamat Dauletbekov. He got the first point when Dauletbekov was put on the activity clock and then doubled the lead with a stepout. The exact sequence played out in the second period as well as Azimi led 4-0. A takedown for a 6-0 score sealed the win for Azimi.

In the 86kg semifinals, Kazakhstan’s Bolat Sakayev used a fireman’s carry to score a four-pointer over Mukul Dahiya of India to start the semifinal and he then added a takedown to make it 6-0.

Dahiya got his own take-down before the break to cut the score to 6-2. Dahiya scored a take-down before break to cut the lead to 6-2. He opened the score period with a takedown to make it 6-4 before driving Sakayev for a two-point take-down.

\Sakayev kept a 6-6 criteria lead but Dahiya took a clear lead with a go-behind. As Sakayev struggled with conditioning, Dahiya scored two more take-downs and won the semifinals 12-6

Two-time world and Asian champion Kamran Ghasempour of Iran proved too much for Asian U23 silver medalist Alp Arslan Begenjov of Turkmenistan, storming to an 11-0 victory to advance to the final in his first Asian appearance since winning the 92kg gold in 2021.

Ghasempour, a bronze medalist at last year’s World Championships, bided his time, first gaining an activity point before adding a take-down and gut wrench combination for a 5-0 lead in the first period.

In the second, he scored with a high crotch, went to the lace lock and rolled twice to end the match at 3:31. Begenjov was looking to become Turkmenistan’s first finalist since 1999; he will now have a chance to become its first medalist since 2018 and the first-ever in Freestyle. 

In the 74kg semifinals, Orozbek Toktomambetov of Kyrgyzstan tried multiple ways to score against Yoshinosuke Aoyago but the Japanese just doesn’t give up a take-down.

He opened the match with a sweep single take-down and turned Toktomambetov for a 6-0 lead. Toktomambetov finally got on Aoyagi’s legs but the Japanese defended and then stepped over to score two exposure points to lead 6-0 at the break.

Both wrestlers went towards the edge and it was Toktomambetov who put his hand out first which gave one point to Aoyagi. The Kyrgyzstani challenged the call but lost it to add one more point to Aoyagi’s score and make it 8-0. Aoyagi then blocked a throw from Toktomambetov and landed on top for two points and finish the bout.

Magomedrasul Asluev of Bahrain won’t have to settle for a bronze medal this time after making his first Asian final with a take-down in each period of a 4-3 victory over Asian U23 bronze medalist Begijon Kuldashev of Uzbekistan.

After Kuldashev could only come away with a step-out after getting in on a deep single, Asluev took the lead with a takedown to go ahead 2-1 at the break.

Asluev, who won his second career bronze last year, added his second take-down early in the second period. Kuldashev used a nifty duck under for a takedown that cut the gap to 1 with :46 left, but Asluev held on to secure the best medal of his career.

In the 61kg semifinals, Asian Games silver medalist Kim Kwang Myong of North Korea got a take-down and then caught Gulomjon Abdullaev of Uzbekistan on his back and pinned the world bronze medalist. Abdullaev was left stunned as he walked off the mat.

In a thriller between two turbo-charged wrestlers, Olympic bronze medalist Aman of India outlasted Ahmad Javanb of Iran 11-9 to earn a shot at a second career Asian gold.

Javan swept in for a single and got Aman’s leg into the air, but instead of going to the mat, he drove Aman out and to his back for a 4-pointer. Aman responded with a double-leg take-down, then added a step-out that the Iranian challenged but lost.

Javan scored with another sweeping single, only for Aman to come back with a take-down to make it 6-6 at the break. Aman went ahead with a step-out to start the second period, then stayed on the offensive and got another to make it 8-6 at the halfway point.

Aman made Javan, who continually took breaks complaining of a sore ankle, work hard for a step-out, then came right back with a take-down to go up 10-7 with :30 left.

Javan made one last push and pulled off a takedown in the final seconds, but was also assessed a one-point penalty for being slow to continue the match.