Kazakhs, Uzbeks show well at judo tournament

t('articles.tweet')

* denotes required field.

• Your name *
• Email to *
• Comments *
• CAPTCHA *

Reset

SUWON, South Korea – For the second tournament in a row, Uzbekistan's martial artists had a strong showing. All three of them walked away with medals from the Judo World Masters tournament in Suwon, South Korea. The two-member Kazakh team also won a medal.

The Uzbek team finished fourth overall in the January 16th-17th tournament, which featured competitors from more than 30 countries. The tournament has a US $200,000 purse and is part of the International Judo Federation (IJF)'s World Circuit.

After suffering disappointment in last month’s Tokyo Grand Slam, Rishod Sobirov won all four of his matches — including a victory over the rival who eliminated him in Tokyo — to take gold in the under-60kg weight class.

In addition to exacting revenge on Tokyo champion Masaaki Fukuoka, Sobirov shot to seventh place in the IJF’s world rankings for under-60kg wrestlers.

Dilshod Choriev added to the Uzbek medal count by reaching the third round in the under-90kg class. Choriev fell to Kirill Denisov of Russia but clinched a bronze medal, as he had done in Tokyo last month.

Choriev has seven medals in international competition, including two gold and one silver. He ranks fourth in the world in his weight class, according to the IJF.

Shokir Muminov ensured that every member of the Uzbek team earned a medal when he advanced to the under-81kg semifinals. In a hard-fought match with France’s Axel Clerget, Muminov came up just short but still pocketed a bronze. Muminov is ranked 17th in the world.

Representing the Kazakhs, Maxim Rakov put up a valiant fight in the under-100kg semifinals but could not top eventual gold medallist Takamasa Anai of Japan. Rakov did, though, clinch a bronze medal — his fourth medal in international competition in the past three years. He moved up to fourth in the world rankings.

Rakov's countrywoman, Gulzhan Issanova, finished fifth in the women’s over-78 kg weight class, even though officials disqualified her in her only match. She remains ranked 15th in the world.

All five Central Asian competitors are likely to qualify for the 2010 Paris Grand Slam, which is the next stop on the IJF World Circuit and is scheduled for February 6th and 7th. The three Uzbek men and Rakov are also likely to qualify for the Men’s World Cup in Tblisi, Georgia (January 30th and 31st).