GUMI, Korea (February 19) – Takafumi Kojima and Naoki Monma grabbed bronze medals on the final day of the Asian wrestling championships and helped Japan take home the second-place trophy in men’s freestyle.
Kojima posted a pair of convincing wins at 74kg to advance to the semifinals, but dropped a close bout with two-time world runner-up Sadegh Goudarzi (IRI). Kojima secured the bronze medal with a win over Gombodorj Dorjvaanchig (MGL).
At 84kg, Monma also fell in the semifinals, losing to two-time Asia champ Ehsan Lashgari (IRI) in two periods. Monma, however, came back with a win over 2009 Asia junior winner Umidyon Ismanov (UZB) in the bronze medal final.
In the final team standings for men’s freestyle, Japan took second place with 49 points, one runner-up and three bronze medalists. China was three points back in third place with one silver medalist and a pair of third places. Iran ran away with the team title with five champions and 67 points.
Men’s freestyle
66kg – TANAKA, Kotaro (5th, 14 entries)
R1 – df. Kao Yeh-chang (TPE) by fall, 2P (6-0, F4-0)
R2 – lost to Maxat Daulbayev (KAZ), 0-2 (0-2, 0-1)
c1 – df. Abdulrahman Ibrahim (QAT), 2-0 (1-0, 2-0)
F3 – lost to Park Nam-Chun (PRK), 1-2 (0-2, 3-0, 0-1)
74kg – KOJIMA, Takafumi (Bronze, 16 entries)
R1 – df. Oibek Nasirov (KGZ), 2-0 (4-0, 3-0)
R2 – df. Ahmed Mohsin Kadhim Al Gburi (IRQ), 2-0 (1-0, 6-0)
SF – lost to Sadegh Goudarzi (IRI), 0-2 (0-2, 0-1)
F3 – df. Gombodrj Dorjvaanchig (MGL), 2-1 (1-0, 0-1, 1-0)
84kg – MONMA, Naoki (Bronze, 13 entries)
R1 – df. Aibek Usupov (KGZ), 2-0 (3-0, 1-0)
R2 – df. Pawan Kumar (IND), 2-1 (1-0, 0-2, 1-1)
SF – lost to Ehsan Lashgari (IRI), 0-2 (0-2, 0-3)
F3 – df. Umidyon Ismanov (UZB), 2-1 (1-4, 1-1, 6-0)
96kg – ISOKAWA, Takao (7th, 13 entries)
R1 – df. Rustam Iskandari (TJK), 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)
R2 – lost to Zhumagali Mamutov (KAZ), 1-2 (0-2, 2-0, 1-1)
120kg – ARAKIDA, Nobuyoshi (5th, 12 entries)
R1 – lost to Parviz Hadi (IRI), 0-2 (0-4, 0-6)
c1 – df. Aiaal Lazarev (KGZ), 2-1 (0-2, 2-0, 3-0)
F3 – lost to Chuluunbat Jargalsaikhan (MGL), 0-2 (0-3, 0-1)
==End Item