Wrestlers from Asia won the majority of gold medals at last September’s world meet, but only a pair of 2013 world champions from Korea are on the entry list for the April 22-27 Asian championships.
Olympic and world champion KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) will be seeking a third continental crown title at 75kg while RYU Han-Soo (KOR), newly minted as world champ last fall, targets his first senior-level triumph in Asia at 66kg.
Although Kim and Ryu are the only two reigning world champions from Asia slated to wrestle in the Asia championships, a number of world and Olympic medalists will battle on the mats at Daulet sports complex in the Kazakh capital of Astana.
Entries from a handful of national wrestling federations, including world and Olympic medalists, may still be added to the list of participants.
Men’s freestyle
Sushil KUMAR (IND) makes a long awaited return to international competition after settling for a silver medal at 66kg in the London 2012 Olympic Games. The 2010 world champ is entered at 70kg and could face World Cup standout Moustafa HOSSEINKHANI (IRI).
World silver medalist Amit KUMAR (IND), entered at 57kg, is another headliner from the subcontinent, who defeated former world champ YANG Kyong-Il (PRK) for last year’s Asia crown.
Mehrab REZAZADEH (IRI), 2013 Takhti Cup winner, is slated to fill in for world champion Hassan RAHIMI (IRI) at 57kg. Rahimi was the first of 11 world champions from Asia to be crowned in Budapest last year.
World bronze medalists Bjarang BAJRANG (IND) and Masoud ESMAILPOUR (IRI) are both listed at 61kg, while double world champ at 55kg Dilshod MANSUROV (UZB) may be testing the waters for a run at a third Asian Games gold medal in September.
At 65kg, London 2012 bronze medalist at 60kg Yogeshwar DUTT (IND) is entered but world bronze medalist GANZORIG Mandakhnaran (MGL) is not.
World and Olympic bronze medalist Ehsan LASHGARI (IRI) has won three Asian championship titles at 84kg, but will likely have to defeat 2013 champion Umidyon ISMANOV (UZB) at 86kg for a fourth.
Hadi PARVIZ (IRI) won the 2013 Asian title at 120kg and was Takhti Cup winner in February but is listed as an alternate at 125kg behind London 2012 bronze medalist Komeil GHASEMI (IRI) who finished 10th at the 2013 worlds.
Takhti Cup runner-up Daulet SHABANBAY (KAZ) is expected to be a candidate for the medals podium at 125kg once the hosts submit their own list of entries.
Women’s freestyle
Three Japanese wrestlers and two Chinese won gold medals in Budapest last fall, but both national wrestling federations have entered a list of young hopefuls for Astana, including junior world champion Risako KAWAI (JPN).
Kawai, who is entered at 58kg, racked up four technical falls in last month’s World Cup after all-galaxy Kaori ICHO (JPN) was forced to the sidelines with a sore neck.
The most competitive category for the women may be 60kg where 2012 world champion at 59kg ZHANG Lan (CHN) and last year’s junior world champ SUKHEE Tserenchimed (MGL) appear headed for a showdown.
World University Games champion at 51kg Hikari SUGAWARA (JPN) is entered at 53kg and will face the challenge of 2012 junior world runner-up ZHONG Xuechun (CHN) as well as 2013 junior world bronze medalist ERKHEMBAYAR Davaanchimeg (MGL).
At 63kg, Yarygin Grand Prix winner Yurika ITO (JPN) seeks to improve on her second-place finish in New Delhi last year and secure her second Asian title. Geetika JAKHAR (IND) was a bronze medalist in 2013, but is listed as an alternate behind Commonwealth championships runner-up Anita ANITA (IND).
World champion at 72kg ZHANG Fengliu (CHN) is not listed in either of the women’s two heavier categories, but Japan brings world bronze medalist Sara DOSHO (JPN) and 72kg defending Asia champion Hiroe SUZUKI (JPN).
Challenges may come from SHARKHUU Tumentsetseg (MGL), a bronze medalist at 63kg last year in Asia, and from 2012 junior world champion at 72kg ZHOU Feng (CHN).
Greco-Roman
KIM Hyeon-Woo (KOR) and RYU Han-Soo (KOR) will bring the curtain down on the championships, wrestling at 75kg and 66kg, respectively, on the final day of the tourney, while Athens 2004 gold medalist at 60kg JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR) laces up the shoes at 71kg the day before.
Iran, meanwhile, responds with a select squad of medalists from the Yadegar Imam Cup in January.
Yadegar Imam Cup winner Mohsen HAJIPOUR (IRI) is Iran’s entry at 59kg over five-time world champion Hamid SORYAN (IRI). World bronze medalist Elmurat TASMURADOV (UZB), who won the 60kg crown at the 2013 Asia championships, is also at 59kg.
At 66kg, Sandeep YADAV (IND) won a bronze medal at the 2013 worlds after a quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Ryu to become India’s first Greco-Roman medalist at the world championships.
Bobirek ZAYLOBIDINOV (UZB) was junior world champion at 60kg in 2011 and Khusrav OBLOBERDIEV (TJK) was Asia junior champion at 66kg last year.
JUNG Ji-Hyun (KOR) -- who won the gold medal at 60kg in Athens, finished ninth at the Beijing 2008 Games and eighth in London -- is entered at 71kg and may face Mohammad KARIMI (IRI), who has bronze medals at the Yadegar Imam Cup and the Hungarian Golden Grand Prix this year.
At 75kg, Kim won last year’s Asia crown at 74kg, but will likely have to face 2011 world champion at 66kg Saeid ABDVALI (IRI) who won his third Yadegar Imam Cup title in January.
Abdvali owns a semifinal win over Kim at the 2011 world championships. Kim, however, rebounded for third place in Istanbul as a prelude to his march to the 66kg gold medal in London.
Rustam ASSAKALOV (UZB) won the 84kg crown in 2013, while two-time Yadegar Imam Cup winner Mojtaba KARIMFAR (IRI) is Iran’s entry at 85kg ahead of world champion Taleb NEMATPOUR (IRI).
Also at 85kg will be LEE Se-Yeol (KOR), 2010 Asian Games silver medalist -- behind Nematpour -- and London Olympian.
At 98kg, XIAO Di (CHN) was an Asia runner-up in 2012 and 2011 junior world bronze medalist and Jahongir TURDIEV (UZB) earned a bronze medal at the Asian junior championships in Thailand.
Ali ALIYARI FEYZABADI (IRI) was runner-up at the Yadegar Imam Cup behind world bronze medalist Balasz KISS (HUN).
At 130kg, KIM Yong-Min (KOR) won the Asian title in 2012 and Behnam MEHDIZADEH (IRI) was runner- up to world bronze medalist Johan EUREN (SWE) in the Yadegar Iman Cup in January.
The second world bronze medalist and Asia defending champion Nurmakhan TINALIEV (KAZ), although not yet formally entered, is the likely candidate for the hosts to ensure a grand finale in Astana.
Schedule
Tuesday, April 22
18:30-19:00 Weigh-in – Men’s freestyle 57, 65, 86, 125kg; Women’s freestyle 58kg
Wednesday, April 23
10:00-13:00 Qualification rounds and repechage
Men’s freestyle 57, 65, 86, 125kg; Women’s freestyle 58kg
18:30-19:00 Weigh-in – Men’s freestyle 61, 70, 74, 97kg; Women’s freestyle 48kg
19:00-19:30 Opening ceremony
19:30-21:30 Medal finals and Awards ceremonies
Men’s freestyle 57, 65, 86, 125kg; Women’s freestyle 58kg
Thursday, April 24
10:00-13:00 Qualification rounds and repechage
Men’s freestyle 61, 70, 74, 97kg; Women’s freestyle 48kg
17:15-17:45 Weigh-in – Women’s freestyle 53, 55, 60, 63, 69kg
18:00-20:00 Medal finals and Awards ceremonies
Men’s freestyle 61, 70, 74, 97kg; Women’s freestyle 48kg
Friday, April 25
10:00-13:00 Qualification rounds and repechage
Women’s freestyle 53, 55, 60, 63, 69kg
17:15-17:45 Weigh-in - Women’s freestyle 75kg; Greco-Roman 59, 71, 85kg
18:00-20:00 Medal finals and Awards ceremonies
Women’s freestyle 53, 55, 60, 63, 69kg
Saturday, April 26
10:00-13:00 Qualification rounds and repechage
Women’s freestyle 75kg; Greco-Roman 59, 71, 85kg
17:15-17:45 Weigh-in - Greco-Roman 66, 75, 80, 98, 130kg
18:00-20:00 Medal finals and Awards ceremonies
Women’s freestyle 75kg; Greco-Roman 59, 71, 85kg
Sunday, April 27
10:00-13:00 Qualification rounds and repechage
Greco-Roman 66, 75, 80, 98, 130kg
18:00-20:00 Medal finals and Awards ceremonies
Greco-Roman 66, 75, 80, 98, 130kg
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