BANGKOK (February 17) – Asian Games gold medalist Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) led the charge as all five wrestlers for Iran advanced to the medal round Wednesday, the first day of the Asian wrestling championships.
Aliyari Feyzabari posted a fall and technical fall on his way to the gold medal final at 98kg, but had his hands full in the quarterfinals with 2006 world champion Mohamed Abelfattah MOHAMED (BRN) before pulling out a 4-2 win at Bangkok Youth Center.
Aliyari Feyzabadi will seek his second continental crown against Hardeep HARDEEP (IND) in Wednesday evening’s finals. Meanwhile, Mohamed, a former two-time Olympian for Egypt, will wrestle for his first medal in Asia in the bronze-medal round.
Joining Aliyari Feyzabari in the championship matches for Iran will be Ramin TAHERISARTANG (80kg), the 71kg titlist one year ago, and former junior Asia champion Amir GHASEMI MONJAZI (130kg).
Iran’s other two entries, Mehdi ZEIDVAND (66kg) and Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (75kg) will wrestle for bronze medals.
World bronze medalist Dozshan KARTIKOV (KAZ) edged Bouyeri Payani, 6-4, in the 75kg semifinals for a chance to improve on the bronze medal he won at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games.
Askhat ZHANBIROV (KAZ) joins Kartikov in his first Asian championship final at 66kg while London 2012 Olympian Ashkat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) and Damir KUZEMBAYEV (KAZ) wrestle in the bronze medal matches at 80kg and 130kg, respectively
Greco-Roman
66kg (12 entries)
Gold – CHOI Giuk (KOR) v Askhat ZHANBIROV (KAZ)
Bronze – JON Won-Chol (PRK) v Aram VARDANYAN (UZB)
Bronze – Mehdi ZEIDVAND (IRI) v ZHANG Gaoquan (CHN)
Semifinals – CHOI Giuk (KOR) df. ZHANG Gaoquan (CHN), 2-0
Semifinals – Askhat ZHANBIROV (KAZ) df. Aram VARDANYAN (UZB), 4-2
75kg (14 entries)
Gold – Dilshod TURDIEV (UZB) v Dozshan KARTIKOV (KAZ)
Bronze – Shermet PERMANOV (TKM) v Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI)
Bronze – Bakhit Sharif BADR (QAT) v Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ)
Semifinals – Dilshod TURDIEV (UZB) df. Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ), 5-2
Semifinals – Dozshan KARTIKOV (KAZ) df. Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI), 6-4
80kg (10 entries)
Gold – Aishan AISHAN (CHN) v Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI)
Bronze – Jonibek OTABEKOV (UZB) v Singh HARPREET (IND)
Bronze – Ashkhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) v NGHIEM Dinh Hieu (VIE)
Semifinals – Aishan AISHAN (CHN) df. Singh HARPREET (IND), 4-2
Semifinals – Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) df. NGHIEM Dinh Hieu (VIE) by TF, 8-0, 1:40
98kg (12 entries)
Gold – Hardeep HARDEEP (IND) v Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI)
Bronze – Ali Majeed Hameed AL KAABI (IRQ) v Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ)
Bronze – Mohamed Abdelfattah MOHAMED (BRN) v KIM Seungjun (KOR)
Semifinals – Hardeep HARDEEP (IND) df. Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ), 6-3
Semifinals – Mahdi ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) df. KIM Seungjun (KOR) by TF, 8-0, 1:56
130kg (10 entries)
Gold – Murat RAMONOV (KGZ) v Amir GHASEMIMONJAZI (IRI)
Bronze – Naveen NAVEEN (IND) v SUN He (CHN)
Bronze – Damir KUZEMBAYEV (KAZ) v Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB)
Semifinals – Murat RAMONOV (KGZ) df. SUN He (CHN), 7-4
Semifinals – Amir GHASEMIMONJAZI (IRI) df. Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB), 3-0
