Asian Games 2018 - Wrestling Roundup, Bajrang Strikes Gold as Sushil Kumar falls in Round 1

Wrestling at the 2018 Asian Games was held at the Jakarta Convention Center Assembly Hall, Jakarta, Indonesia from 19 to 22 August 2018.

18 Gold medals were up at stake - 6 Men's and Women's Freestyle each and 6 more in Men's Greco-Roman.

Team Freestyle Medals Tally

Iran was the Nation who topped the medals tally with 3 Golds and 1 Bronze.

Uzbekistan came second with 1 Golds and 3 Bronze.

Kazakhstan took the third spot with 1 Gold and 2 Bronze.

India finished fifth with 1 Gold.

Men's Freestyle 57 kg

India's Sandeep Tomar contested against Turkmenistan's Rustem Nazarov. Both wrestlers were equally competent and at the end of the first period, Tomar was leading 6-4. In the second period, Rustem scored 4 points and Tomar dug deep to get 6 points.

Pre-Quarters: Sandeep Tomar (IND) defeated Rustem Nazarov (TKM) 3-1 Classification points (12-8 Technical Points)

Sandeep Tomar had a difficult match against the Iranian, but he fought valiantly to level in the first period 6-6. In the second period, the Iranian exerted his supremacy and Tomar received two cautions resulting in two additional points to lose the period 3-9.

Quarter Finals: Sandeep Tomar (IND) lost to Atrinagharchi Reza (IRN) 1-3 (9-15).

Important Bouts: Erdenebat BekhBayar (MON) upset Makhmudjon Shavkatov (UZB) (World Rank 10) 5-4 in the Quarters and also defeated Kumsong Kang (8) (PRK) in the Finals 8-2.

Yuki Takahashi (JPN) won against Ismailov Zhandos (12) (KAZ) 7-4 in Repechage 2.

Kim Sunggwon defeated Makhmudjon Shavkatov (10) (UZB) 5-1 in Repechage 2.

Standings: Gold - Erdenebat Bekhbayar (MON), Silver - Kumsong Kang (PRK), Bronze - Atrinagharchi Reza (IRN) & Yuki Takahashi (JPN)

Men's Freestyle 65 kg

Bajrang Punia of India won Gold in the 65kg Freestyle category. Tipped as the favorite to win the event with a World Ranking No.2 lived up to the expectations.

Bajrang had a tough first period from the Uzbek as both were equally competent and it ended 6-3. In the second period, Bajrang came out all guns blazing and raced to a 7-0 lead in 1 min and 58 secs to win by technical superiority.

Pre-Quarters: Bajrang Punia (2) (IND) defeats Khasanov Sirojiddin (UZB) 4-1 (13-3)

Bajrang made quick work of the Tajik wrestler and raced to a 9-2 lead in the first period. He came back and finished him off 31 secs into the second period winning by technical superiority.

Quarter-Finals: Bajrang Punia (2) (IND) won against Fayziev Abdulqosim (TJK) 4-1 (12-2)

In the Semi, Bajrang was against the Mongolian. Bajrang dominated from the start and raced away to an 8-0 lead at the end of the first period. He finished off the encounter by virtue of technical superiority in just 56 seconds into the second period.

Semi-Finals: Bajrang Punia (2) (IND) demolished Batchuluun Batmagnai (MON) 4-0 (10-0).

Bajrang started fiercely and secured the first period 6-4. After the break, he continued to maintain the superiority over his Japanese rival which finally secured a 5-4 win in the second period.

Finals: Bajrang Punia (2) (IND) defeats Daichi Takatani (10) (JPN) 3-1 (11-8).

Important Bouts: Daichi Takatani (10) (JPN) prevailed over a tight encounter in the Semi against Okkasov Sayatbek (KAZ) which ended 4-4 with the Japanese winning by scoring the last point of the bout.

Batchuluun Batmagnai (MON) defeated Kuk Gwang Kim (19) (PRK) in the Quarters 4-3.

Standings: Gold - Bajrang Punia (IND), Silver - Daichi Takatani (JPN), Bronze - Atrinagharchi Reza (IRN) & Yuki Takahashi (JPN).

Yuhi Fujinami (JPN) defeated Mandakhnaran Ganzorig (4) (MON) 13-2.

74 kg Men's Freestyle

Sushil Kumar lost his first bout in the 74kg qualification to Adam Batirov (BRN). Sushil did have a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period, but Adam came strong in the second period eventually winning it 4-1. Would Sushil stay to fight on or will he call it quits and retire?

Qualifications: Sushil Kumar (IND) lost to Adam Batirov (BRN) 1-3 (3-5).

Important Bouts: Mostafa Mohabbali Hosseinkhani (18) (IRN) upset Dovletmyrat Orazgylyjov (5) (TKM) 12-2.

Yuhi Fujinami (JPN) defeated Mostafa Mohabbali Hosseinkhani (18) (IRN) 9-8 to claim Bronze.

Standings: Gold - Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (UZB), Silver - Daniyar Kaisanov (KAZ), Bronze - Gong Byungmin (KOR) & Yuhi Fujinami (JPN).

86 kg Men's Freestyle:

Pawan Kumar raced off to an 8-0 lead and then pinned his opponent down to win the bout in 2.31 secs in the first period.

Pre-Quarters: Pawan Kumar (IND) defeated Vuthy Heng (CAM) 5-0 (8-0).

Pawan was no match for the technically superior Iran wrestler as he destroyed the Indian in 2 mins and 6 secs to book a place in the semis.

Quarter-Finals: Pawan Kumar (IND) lost to Hassan Aliazam Yazdanicharati (10) (IRN) 0-4 (0-11).

Pawan Kumar after a cautious start in the first period where he could garner only one point, completely reversed the show in the second period by collecting 10 points in a 64 secs to win by technical superiority.

Repechage Rd 2: Pawan Kumar (IND) defeated Fahriansyah Fahriansyah (INA) 4-0 (11-0).

Pawan was outclassed by the higher ranked Mongolian who led 0-1 at the end of the first period and finished it of by getting 7 points in the second quarter. He fended off the challenge posed by Pawan. 1-3 (1-8).

Bronze Medal Bout: Pawan Kumar (IND) lost to Orgodolyn Üitümen (13) (MON) 1-3 (1-8).

Wrestling - Olympics: Day 14 — Hassan Aliazam Yazdanicharati (IRN) wins Gold in 86 kg Men's Freestyle

Standings: Gold - Hassan Aliazam Yazdanicharati (IRN), Silver - Domenic Abounader (LEB), Bronze - Adilet Davlumbayev (KAZ) & Orgodolyn Üitümen (MON).

97 kg Men's Freestyle:

Seasoned wrestler Mausam Khatri lost a tough bout to Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov who is ranked third in the World. The Indian lost the first period 0-2 and the second 0-6 to bow out on points.

Quarter-Finals: Mausam Khatri (IND) lost to Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (UZB) 0-3 (0-8).

Important Bouts: Takeshi Yamaguchi (15) (JPN) lost to Karimimachiani Alireza (IRN) 0-4 (0-11).

Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (3) (UZB) 0-3 lost to Karimimachiani Alireza (IRN) 0-5 (2-4).

Jaegang Kim (16) (KOR) lost to Musaev Magomed (KGZ) 1-3 (1-1).

2016 United World Wrestling World Cup — Karimimachiani Alireza (IRN) wins Gold in 97 kg Men's Freestyle

Standings: Gold - Karimimachiani Alireza (IRN), Silver - Musaev Magomed (KGZ), Bronze - Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (UZB) & Jaegang Kim (KOR).

125 kg Men's Freestyle:

Sumit had a tough Pre-Quarter against Hadibasmanj Parviz (IRN). The Indian was no match for the Iranian, as he just took under two minutes to win thhe match by technical superiority.

Quarter-Finals: Sumit Sumit (IND) lost to Hadibasmanj Parviz (IRN) 0-4 (0-10).

Sumit won his bout against an equally talented Kazakh by virtue of points. He led the first period 4-0 and won the second 3-0.

Repechage Round 2: Sumit Sumit (IND) defeated Oleg Boltin (KAZ) 3-0 (7-0).

Sumit missed out on a Bronze in a tough encounter against the fancied Uzbek wrestler. The match was evenly poised but the experienced Uzbek wrestler weathered the storm to pick the Bronze.

Bronze Medal Bout: Sumit Sumit (IND) lost to Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (9) (UZB) 0-3 (0-2).

Important Bouts: Zolboo Natsagsuren (5) (MON) lost to Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (9) (UZB) 0-3 (0-3).

Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (9) (UZB) lost to Hadibasmanj Parviz (IRN) 1-3 (8-11).

Koungjin Nam 16 (KOR) lost to Deng Zhiwei (CHN) 0-5 (0-6).

Standings: Gold - Hadibasmanj Parviz (IRN), Silver - Deng Zhiwei (CHN), Bronze - Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (UZB) & Jaegang Kim (KOR).

Team Greco-Roman Medals Tally

Iran and Kazakhstan shared the top spot with 2 Golds and 2 Bronze.

Uzbekistan came second with 1 Gold and 1 Silver.

Japan took the third spot with 1 Gold and 1 Bronze.

60 kg Men's Greco-Roman:

Gyanender had an easy encounter as he stamped his mark over the Thai winning each period convincingly 6-2 and 4-0 to win by technical superiority.

Pre-Quarters: Gyanender Gyanender (IND) defeats Wiratul Piyabut (THA) 4-1 (10-2).

Gyanender's bout ended in the first period as the Uzbek wrestler scored 5 points. In the second period, he used all his defensive skills to thwart an attack by the Indian and won the bout on points.

Quarter-Finals: Gyanender Gyanender (IND) lost to Islomjon Bakhramov (14) (UZB) 0-3 (0-5).

Important Bouts: Shinobu Ota (7) (JPN) defeats Kanybek Zholchubekov (1) (KGZ) 0-5 (3-8).

Islomjon Bakhramov (14) (UZB) lost to Mardani Mehrdad (IRN) 0-4 (0-8).

Ri Se Ung (PRK) lost to Ainagulov Mirambek (KAZ) 1-4 (5-13).

Asian Games - Day 3 — Shinobu Ota excited after winning Gold in 60 kg Men's Greco-Roman

Standings: Gold - Shinobu Ota (JPN), Silver - Kanybek Zholchubekov (KGZ), Bronze - Magomed Idrisovitch Ibragimov (UZB) & Jaegang Kim (KOR).

67 kg Men's Greco-Roman:

Manish encountered a tough opening round in the Men's 60 kg Greco-Roman wrestling. He was pitted against World Number 3 Shimoyamada from Japan. Manish made a good fist in the first period and stayed close to the Japanese wrestler on points to end it 3-3. In the second period, he exerted his class with a throwdown through which he won 4 points.

Pre-Quarters: Manish Manish (IND) defeats Tsuchika Shimoyamada (3) (JPN) 3-1 (7-3).

Manish faced the World No. 1 from Kazakhstan Almat. And he was no match against the number one and was thrashed with two falls in less than 63 minutes in the first period with the Kazakh wrestler winning by technical superiority.

Quarter-Finals: Manish Manish (IND) lost to Almat Kebispayev (1) (KAZ) 0-4 (0-8).

Repechage Round 2: Manish Manish (IND) lost to Hung Yinghua (TPE) 0-0 by injury as he was disallowed to compete after not getting medical clearance.

Important Bouts: Ryu Hansu (KOR) defeats Almat Kebispayev (1) (KAZ) 3-1 (5-4).

Ryu Hansu (KOR) defeats Gaoquan Zhang (15) (CHN) 3-0 (2-0).

Ismailov Amantur (KGZ) defeats Gaoquan Zhang (15) (CHN) 3-1 (6-1).

Standings: Gold - Ryu Hansu (KOR), Silver - Almat Kebispayev (KAZ), Bronze - Geraei Mohammadreza (IRN) & Ismailov Amantur (KGZ).

77 kg Men's Greco-Roman:

Gurpreet dominated this encounter with a huge lift and fall gaining 5 points. He quickly asserted a technical superiority over his Thai opponent with 56 seconds remaining in the first period.

Pre-Quarters: Gurpreet Singh (IND) defeats Natal Apichai (THA) 4-0 (9-0).

Gurpreet faced the World no. 2 Geraei from Iran and he was outclassed in the first period with a scoreline of 2-8. In the second period, the Iranian went into defensive mode and the Indian produced a 4 point throw down. But the lead was huge to bring down as the buzzer for the end of the bout had gone. A valiant effort by the Indian wrestler though.

Quarter-Finals: Gurpreet Singh (IND) lost to Geraei Abdolhamid Mohammadali (2) (IRN) 1-3 (6-8).

Gurpreet met the mighty Chinese who is ranked 14th in the world and the first period ended even at 1 point each. The second period saw the Chinese taking 8 points and declared the winner as the Indian received three cautions.

Repechage Round 2: Gurpreet Singh (IND) lost to Yang Bin (14) (CHN) 0-5 (1-9) after he received 3 cautions for rule infringement.

Important Bouts: Shermet Permanov (20) (TKM) lost to Akzhol Makhmudov (KGZ) 0-4 (0-8).

Kim Hyeonwoo (KOR) defeats Shermet Permanov (20) (TKM) 4-0 (9-0).

Yang Bin (14) (CHN) defeats Shohei Yabiku (6) (JPN) 3-1 (4-3).

Standings: Gold - Geraei Abdolhamid Mohammadali (IRN), Silver - Akzhol Makhmudov (KGZ), Bronze - Kim Hyeonwoo (KOR) & Yang Bin (CHN).

87 kg Men's Greco-Roman:

Harpreet played an extremely technical bout against the Korean and led the first period with a 2 point advantage. He scored another 2 points in the second period to win by points.

Pre-Quarters: Harpreet Singh (IND) defeats Park Heageun (KOR) 3-1 (4-1).

Harpreet faced the World no. 3 Masato from Japan. Harpreet compiled the pressure early on and raked in point after point to win by technical superiority in 90 secs. For Masato, the bout was over in a blink of the eye.

Quarter-Finals: Harpreet Singh (IND) defeats Sumi Masato (3) (JPN) 4-0 (8-0).

This time it was Harpreet who was outclassed by the superior Kazakh who brought Harpreet down two times on the mat to earn a victory by technical superiority in 38 secs.

Semi-Finals: Harpreet Singh (IND) lost to Rustam Assakalov (UZB) 0-4 (0-10).

The Kazakh wrestler won the first period 5-0 with a huge fall inflicted on the Indian. In the second period, the Indian tried in vain to come back and garnered 3 points but still lost out on the Bronze.

Bronze Medal: Harpreet Singh (IND) lost to Azamat Kustubayev (KAZ) 1-3 (3-6).

Standings: Gold - Hossein Ahmad Nouri (IRN), Silver - Rustam Assakalov (UZB), Bronze - Azamat Kustubayev (KAZ) & Ovelekov Shyhazberdi (TKM).

97 kg Men's Greco-Roman:

The Chinese wrestler got three points in the first period and the Indian repeated the same in the second period. The close bout eventually went to the Chinese as he had garnered 2 points by getting behind his opponent and throwing him on the mat.

Quarter-Finals: Hardeep Hardeep (IND) lost to Xiao Di (14) (CHN) 4-0 (3-3).

The Uzbek wrestler won the first period 3-0 by pushing his opponent outside the ring. In the second period, he garnered 3 points and ensured the Indian never got any grip on him to win the bout.

Repechage Round 2: Hardeep Hardeep (IND) lost to Turdiev Jahongir (UZB) 1-3 (1-6).

Important Bouts: Yerulan Iskakov (7) (KAZ) lost to Hyo Chul Cho (KOR) 1-3 (1-6).

Hyo Chul Cho (KOR) defeats Xiao Di (14) (CHN) 3-1 (5-4).

Standings: Gold - Hyo Chul Cho (KOR), Silver - Xiao Di (CHN), Bronze - Yerulan Iskakov (KAZ) & Uzur Dzhuzupbekov (KGZ).

130 kg Men's Greco-Roman:

Navin was no match for the fitter Chinese wrestler. He was able to manage only one push out as the Chinese controlled the match well till the end to win by points.

Pre-Quarters: Naveen Naveen (IND) lost to Meng Lingzhe (CHN) 1-3 (1-4).

Important Bouts: Muminjon Abdullaev (14) (UZB) defeats Behnam Aliakbar Mehdizadeh Arpatapeh (2) (IRN) 3-1 (2-2).

Kim Min Seok (KOR) defeats Behnam Aliakbar Mehdizadeh Arpatapeh (2) (IRN) 3-1 (1-1).