Iran Nets 9 Gold Medals, China Grabs Women's Title at Asian Indoor Games

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan - Iran captured nine gold medals in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling at the Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Meanwhile, China shined in women’s wrestling, winning five titles.

Iran's Greco-Roman wrestling team had a brilliant performance, sending all eight wrestlers to the finals and earning six gold medals.

A key match happened in the first round at heavyweight, where two-time Asian champion Behnam MAHDIZADEH (IRI) defeated three-time world medalist Nurmakhan TINALIYEV (KAZ) 3-2. Mahdizadeh went on to win gold.

Farshad BELFAKEH (71kg), Pejman POSHTAM (75kg), 2016 Asian junior champion Mahdi EBRAHIMI (80kg), Saman AZIZI (85kg) and former Asian junior champion Amirhossein HOSSEINI (98kg) won the other gold medals for Iran in Greco-Roman. 

Other gold medals in Greco-Roman went to 2016 junior world champion Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ) at 59kg and Daniyar KALENOV (KAZ) at 66kg. Kalenov beat Olympic bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) in the semifinals, 2-1. 

Tasmuradov won a bronze medal in Rio at 59kg and moved up to 66kg at the Asian Indoor Games.

In freestyle, Iran and Uzbekistan took three gold medals each and two other titles were won by India and Bahrain.

Ezatollah AKBARI, a 2013 world silver medalist, returned to international competition after some years, defeating 2017 Asian bronze medalist Umidjon ISMANOV (UZB) 9-2 in the 86kg finals.

Former Russian wrestler Adam BATIROV, who has competed for Bahrain since 2016, captured the 70kg gold medal. 2017 The Asian champion Batirov beat the host country wrestler Batyr ORAZGYLYJOW (TKM) 8-4 in the finals. 

Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB), a past world bronze medalist and 2017 Asian champion, was another champion. He downed Iranian Hossein ELYASI 12-6 in the 74kg finals. 

2012 Olympic silver medal winner Davit MODZMANASHVILI won the last gold medal of freestyle event. Modzmanashvili, a former Georgian wrestler who has competed for Uzbekistan since 2017, defeated Bilige WUREN (CHN) 8-0 in the 125kg finals. Modzmanashvili had a challenging match in the quarterfinals, beating Iranian team member Yadollah MOHEBI 2-1.

The women's wrestling competition was held in six weight categories. Led by 2016 Olympic medal winner and 2013 world champion Sun YANAN, China shined with five gold medals.

Yanan beat two-time junior world champion Miho IGARASHI (JPN) 2-1 in the 48kg finals. 

2016 world champion Xingru PEI took gold for China, defeating Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) 4-1 in the 58kg finals.

Yuka YAGO (JPN) prevented China from winning all the gold medals in women’s wrestling. Yago won the 53kg final match by technical fall 10-0 against Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ).

2017 Asian Indoor Games Results

Freestyle Results

57kg
GOLD- Makhmudjon SHAVKATOV (UZB) df. Gabit TOLEPBAY (KAZ), 6-2
BRONZE- Kazuya KOYANAGI (JPN) df. Wanhao ZOU (CHN), 10-5
BRONZE- Nader HAJAGHANIA (IRI) df. Meretmuhammet ATAYEW (TKM), 6-2

61kg
GOLD- Iman SADEGHI (IRI) TF. Saparmyrat MYRADOW (TKM), 11-0
BRONZE- Sandeep TOMAR (IND) Pinned Timur AITKULOV (KAZ)
BRONZE- Mekan ORAZOW (TKM) df. Abdul WAHAB (PAK), 12-4

65kg
GOLD- BAJRANG (IND) DF. Daichi TAKATANI (JPN)
BRONZE- Batyr BORJAKOW (TKM) TF. Amandyk BAKEYEV (KAZ), 15-5
BRONZE- Farzas AMOUZAD KHALILI (IRI) df. Abdulqosim FAYZIEV (TJK), 3-0

70kg
GOLD- Adam BATIROV (BRN) df. Batyr ORAZGYLYJOW (TKM), 8-4
BRONZE- Saeid DADASHPOUR (IRI) df. Malik Jan SADEED (AFG), 10-0
BRONZE- Ikhtiyor NAVRUZOV (UZB) df. Sukhbat BOLDKHUU (MGL), 12-2

74kg
GOLD- Bekzod ABDURAKHMONOV (UZB) df. Hossein ELYASI (IRI), 12-6
BRONZE- Dowletmyrat ORAZGYLYJOW (TKM) TF. Farhad MALIKZADA (AFG), 10-0
BRONZE- Zhiger ZAKIROV (KAZ) df. Menghejian (CHN), 12-4

86kg
GOLD- Ezzatollah AKBARI (IRI) df. Umidjon ISMANOV (UZB), 9-2
BRONZE- Deepak (IND) df. Bakhodur KODIROV (TJK), 2-2
BRONZE- Adilet DAVLUMBAYEV (KAZ) df. Muhammad INAM (PAK), 8-5

97kg
GOLD- Mojtaba GOLEIJ (IRI) TF. Rustam ISKANDARI (TJK), 10-0
BRONZE- Bakdaulet ALMENTAY (KAZ) df. Takashi ISHIGURO (JPN), 5-0
BRONZE- Ahmad AHMADI (AFG) df. Yusup MELEJAYEW (TKM), 5-0

125kg
GOLD- Davit MODZMANASHVILI (UZB) df. Bilige WUREN (CHN), 8-0
BRONZE-Raja AL KRAD (SYR) TF. Yazmyrat GOLJAYEW (TKM), 10-0
BRONZE- Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI) df. Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ), 10-6

Greco-Roman

59kg
GOLD- Kaly SULAIMANOV (KGZ) df. Mohsen HAJIPOUR (IRI), 3-1
BRONZE- Aidos SULTANGALI (KAZ) df. Erbatu TUO (CHN), 6-5
BRONZE- Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Seydylla TAZAYEW (TKM), 4-1

66kg
GOLD- Daniyar KALENOV (KAZ) df. Amin SOURI (IRI), 2-1
BRONZE- Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB) df. Jinxin DONG (CHN), 6-2
BRONZE- Yamato UO (JPN) TF. Ahmad Mahmoud DAHSHAN (JOR), 10-0

71kg
GOLD- Farshad BELFAKEH (IRI) TF. Ali SEYHOW (TKM), 11-2
BRONZE- Aram VARDANYAN (UZB) df. Ruslan TSAREV (KGZ), 3-2
BRONZE- Mustafa HUSSAINI (AFG) df. Daniel MISAALEFUA (ASA)

75kg
GOLD- Pejman POSHTAM (IRI) df. Riodong ZHANG (CHN), 3-1
BRONZE- Tamerlan SHADUKAYEV (KAZ) TF. Hashmatullah MALIK KHIL (AFG), 8-0
BRONZE- Singh GURPREET (IND) TF. Bakhtovar KHASANOV (TJK), 14-5

80kg
GOLD- Mahdi EBRAHIMI (IRI) df. Atabek AZISBEKOV (KGZ), 3-2
BRONZE- Askhat DILMUKHAMEDOV (KAZ) df. Nurbek KHASHIMBEKOV (UZB), 5-1
BRONZE- Sukhrob ABDULKHAEV (TJK) df. Amanaly ATAYEW (TKM), 4-1

85kg
GOLD- Saman AZIZI (IRI) df. Ravinder KHATRI (IND), 4-1
BRONZE- Khussein MUTSOLGOV (KAZ) df. Azat BEISHEBEKOV (KGZ), 4-1
BRONZE- Sthazberdi OWELEKOW (TKM) TF. Nolan Ili PULETASI (ASA), 8-0

98kg
GOLD- Amirhossein HOSSEINI (IRI) df. Uzur DZHUZUPBEKOV (KGZ), 3-2
BRONZE- Yuta NARA (JPN) df. Aslan LULIYEW (TKM), 4-1
BRONZE- Mirzoamin SAFAROV (TJK) df. Lingzhe MENG (CHN)

130kg
GOLD- Behnam MAHDIZADEH (IRI) df. NAVEEN (IND), 2-0
BRONZE- Muminjon ABDULLAEV (UZB) TF. Sukhroj AZIZOV (TJK), 8-0
BRONZE- Nurmakhan TINALIYEV (KAZ) df. Qiang MENG (CHN), 2-0

Women’s Wrestling

48kg
GOLD- Sun YANAN (CHN) df. Miho IGARASHI (JPN), 2-1
BRONZE- Sheetal TOMAR (IND) TF. Shintia Eka ARFENDA (INA), 10-0
BRONZE- Dauletbike YAKHSHIMURATOVA (UZB) df. Orina BORISSOVA (KAZ), 6-4

53kg
GOLD- Yuka YAGO (JPN) TF. Zhuldyz ESHIMOVA (KAZ), 10-0
BRONZE- Lannuan LUO (CHN) TF. Nazira MARSBEK KIZY (KGZ), 10-0
BRONZE- Sevara ESHMURATOVA (UZB) df. Yulduz MADYAROWA (TKM), 2-0

58kg
GOLD- Xingru PEI (CHN) df. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ), 4-1
BRONZE- Pooja DHANDA (IND) df. Rckaela Maree Ramos AQUINO (GUM), 4-0
BRONZE- Akie HANAI (JPN) df. Thi Huong DAO (VIE), 6-0

63kg
GOLD- Rui ZU (CHN) df. Ayaulym KASSYMOVA (KAZ), 10-8
BRONZE- Thi Vinh NGUYEN (VIE) df. Dewi ATIYA (INA), 8-5
BRONZE- Yurika ITO (JPN) TF. Ilania Alison KEJU (MHL), 10-0

69kg
GOLD- Feng ZHOU (CHN) df. Elmira SYZDYKOVA (KAZ), 9-0
BRONZE- Kaur NAVJOT (IND) df. Solmaz BOZAGANOWA (TKM), 8-0
BRONZE- Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) df. Naruha MATSUYUKI (JPN), 2-1

75kg
GOLD- PALIHA (CHN) df. Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ), 4-1
BRONZE- Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) TF. Rozanna KURAMBAYEWA (TKM), 10-0
BRONZE- Natsumi BABA (JPN) TF. Beatrice Delin MATA (GU