ULAANBAATAR – Iranian wrestlers grabbed 11 gold medals in the 16 men’s events while host Mongolia sent seven to the medals podium for the women’s title at the Asian Junior Wrestling Championships.
Iran won the freestyle team title with a near-perfect score of 77 points from six champions, a runner-up, and one bronze medalist. Kazakhstan was second with 64 points and one champion with India third at 49.
In Greco-Roman, Iran sent all eight of their entries to the awards podium and ran away the team title with 75 points and five champions followed by Kyrgyzstan (51) and Kazakhstan (50).
In women’s freestyle, host Mongolia pushed four wrestlers into the finals and came away with one gold medalist and team title with 67 points. Kazakhstan was second with 63 points as senior world bronze medalist Ekaterina LARIONOVA (KAZ) bagged her second Asia junior crown.
India slipped past Japan for third place, 60-57, in spite of Japan’s three individual champions.
On the individual side, ERDENEBILEG Puntsag (MGL) won Mongolia’s first-ever gold medal in Greco-Roman in a major international competition with the title at 55kg. NOROVSUREN Amarskhan (MGL) added a bronze medal at 66kg.
Mongolia, a regular force in freestyle, most recently boasted a bronze medal at the 2013 Asian cadet championships, but it had been a seven-year dry spell since MAGALJAV Tserendashdorj (MGL) won a silver medal at 120kg the 2006 world university championships in Ulaanbaatar.
Also in Greco-Roman, 2013 cadet world champion Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) racked up three wins by technical fall at 66kg and then accepted a forfeit for the title from defending champion Khusrav OBLOBERDIEV (TJK), runner-up at the Asian senior championships in April.
Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI), junior world bronze medalist in 2012, won his first Asian junior title at 74kg to help pace Iran’s winning team effort.
In men’s freestyle, leading the charge for Iran were 2011 cadet world silver medalist Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) at 66kg along with 2012 cadet world bronze medalists Saber KHANJANI SHAHRESTANI (IRI) at 50kg and Reza MOZZAFFARIJOUBARI (IRI) at 74kg.
The only gold medals to escape Iran in freestyle were taken by 2013 Asia cadet bronze medalist Ulubek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) at 55kg and 2011 cadet world champion Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ) at 84kg.
In women’s freestyle, KIM Hyon-Gyong (PRK), last year’s champion at 44kg, snared the 48kg crown with a win over XIE Ya (CHN), the silver medalist at 52kg in the Asian cadet meet in May.
Yarygin Grand Prix bronze medalist ALTANTSETSEG Battsetseg (MGL) reversed a first-round loss in 2013 to Rumi HIROSE (JPN), 10-2, in the 55kg final, as Hirose accepted the silver medal for a second year in a row.
Yui SAKANO (JPN) won her second Asia junior crown at 59kg with a 6-5 win over junior world champion SUKHEE Tserenchimeg (MGL).
Men’s Freestyle
50kg – Saber KHANJANI SHAHRESTANI (IRI) df. Azamat TOIBEK (KAZ) by TF, 17-5
55kg – Ulubek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) df. Reza ATRINAGHARCHI (IRI) by TF, 15-1
60kg – Iman SADEGHIKOUKANDEH (IRI) df. Sirojiddin HASANOV (UZB), 6-2
66kg – Hassan YAZDANICHARATI (IRI) df. Yuhi FUJINAMI (JPN), 18-10
74kg – Reza MOZZAFFARIJOUBARI (IRI) df. Kirin KINOSHITA (JPN) by TF, 12-2
84kg – Elkhan ASSADOV (KAZ) df. Bakhodir KADIROV (TJK), 3-0
96kg – Pedram JAMSHIDI (IRI) df. Pawan DAHIYA (IND) by TF, 10-0
120kg – Amin TAHERI (IRI) df. Akbar YELUBAIULY (KAZ) by TF, 11-0
Women’s Freestyle
44kg – PAK Jin-Hyang (PRK) df. Zuhra OTAMURODOVA (UZB) by TF, 11-0
48kg – KIM Hyong-Gyong (PRK) df. XIE Ya (CHN), 4-3
51kg – Venish VENISH (IND) df. YANG Sun-Gyong (PRK), 7-5
55kg – ALTANTSETSEG Battsetseg (MGL) df. Rumi HIROSE (JPN), 10-2
59kg – Yui SAKANO (JPN) df. SUKHEE Tserenchimeg (MGL), 6-5
63kg – Ekaterina LARIONOVA (KAZ) df. BURNEEBAATAR Nyamgerel (MGL) by fall
67kg – Ayana GEMPEI (JPN) df. OTGONKHUU Oyungerel (MGL), 5-1
72kg – Mukku SAITO (JPN) df. Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ), 7-6
Greco-Roman
50kg – Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Anil ANIL (IND) by TF, 8-0
55kg – ERDENEBILEG Puntsag (MGL) df. Behrooz MALEKI (IRI) by TF, 9-0
60kg – Ali Reizollah ARSALAN (IRI) df. Ravinder RAVINDER (IND) by fall
66kg – Ramin TAHERISARTANG (IRI) df. Khusrav OBLOBERDIEV (TJK) by default
74kg – Payam BOUYERI PAYANI (IRI) df. Esen ASANOV (KGZ) by TF, 14-4
84kg – Ali Abolreza SHARIFI (IRI) df. Sandeep SANDEEP (IND) by TF, 8-0
96kg – Mohammad Esmaeil EBRAHIMI (IRI) df. Alimkhan SYZDYKOV (KAZ), 7-4
120kg – LEE Seung-Hak (KOR) df. LIU Bin (CHN) by fall
