Uzbeks win first gold, Kazakhs get bronze, to fight for gold

LONDON - Uzbekistan’s Artur Taymazov won his country’s first gold in a bout against Georgia’s Davit Modzmanashvili in the men’s 120kg freestyle wrestling August 11. But his compatriot, Svetlana Radzivil, tipped to have a good chance at winning a medal in the women’s high jump final August 11, fell short. In late August 10 action, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan picked up one bronze medal each, while two Kazakhstani boxers assured themselves of at least silver medals.

Kazakhstani super heavyweight (>91kg) boxer Ivan Dychko lost his semi-final bout to Great Britain’s Anthony Joshua but picked up a bronze medal anyway, while Uzbek freestyle wrestler Soslan Tigiev (<74kg) won Uzbekistan’s third bronze by defeating Hungary’s Gabor Hatos.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstani welterweight (<69kg) boxer Serik Sapiyev and light heavyweight (<81kg) boxer Adilbek Niyazymbetov both will be fighting for gold August 12. Sapiyev defeated Russia’s Andrey Zamkovoy in the semi-final to set up a gold-medal clash against Britain’s Freddie Evans, while Niyazymbetov overcame Ukraine’s Oleksandr Gvozdyk and will face Russia’s Egor Mekhontcev.

August 10 ended with Kazakhstan possessing six golds and four bronzes. Uzbekistan has three bronzes. Afghanistan and Tajikistan have one bronze each.

Two Central and South Asian competitors narrowly missed out on medals August 10. Kazakhstan’s <55kg freestyle wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov lost a bronze-medal match to North Korea’s Yang Kyong Il, while Afghan middleweight (<80kg) taekwondo competitor Nesar Ahmad Bahawi fell to Italy’s Mauro Sarmiento.

Also on August 11, Kazakhstan’s Rustem Sabizkhuzin and Pavel Iliashenko were to compete in the men’s pentathlon. Uzbekistan’s Natalya Mamatova and Kazakhstan’s Feruza Yergeshova have advanced in the preliminary round to qualifiers in women’s plus 67kg taekwondo August 11, while Tajikistan’s Alisher Gulov and Uzbekistan’s Akmal Irgashev have advanced to qualifiers in men’s plus 80kg taekwondo the same day.

Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Dyadchuk qualified for finals August 10, but failed August 11 in the 200m men’s canoe single. In the 200m women’s kayak single Kazakhstan’s Natayla Sergeyeva was eliminated in the semifinals August 10. In men’s 200m kayak double Kazakhstan’s Alexei Dergunov and Yevgeniy Alexeyev qualified for finals August 10, but failed in the end August 11.

Kazakhstan’s Dauren Zhumagzyyev was scheduled to compete August 11 in the men’s 60kg freestyle wrestling quarterfinals, while compatriot Yermek Baiduashev and Uzbekistan’s Zaurbek Sokhiev were to compete in 1/8 finals in men’s 84kg freestyle wrestling.