Day 4 of the 18th Asian Games saw our country increase its medal haul - Shihazberdi Ovelekov won a bronze medal in the men’s Greco-Roman 87 kg wrestling event. In the quarterfinals, defeated by the would-be winner, Hossein Nouri from Iran, he competed with a Yemeni wrestler to win third place.
The bout resulted in our wrestler’s success.Referees stopped the wrestlers just 39 seconds into the game with the score 8-0.This is the second time the wrestler, trained by chief Greco-Roman wrestling coach Roza Rejepova, has collected a bronze medal at major championships.
Sh.Ovelekov won his first bronze medal at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat.
Shirmet Pirmanov (77 kg) also had every chance to win a medal.He convincingly made it to the 1/8 and 1/4 finals, without giving a chance to his opponents from Qatar and Tajikistan.
However, in the upcoming fights our countryman lost to a Korean wrestler, Asia’s reigning champion, and as a result was placed fifth in the standings.
Basketball competitions have also got underway. At first, our youth basketball team, coached by Toyli Bayryev, played against a team from Iraq. Our players mainly concentrated on mobility and long two-point shots.
The game was keenly contested with the close score (either team taking a 2-point lead in turns). With half a minute remaining, the teams secured a draw. However, thanks to a well-placed shot, Iraq’s team earned a 16:14 win.
A match against Kazakh basketball players, who had beaten a team from Afghanistan, was thrilling and highly competitive as well. In the closing minutes, our players seized the basketball and the initiative, increasing their lead. Finally, the Turkmen team notched up a 17:13 victory over the opponents.
Clearly dominating the game from the opening minutes of the match against Afghanistan, our basketball players scored a 22:9 win over the opposing team. The Turkmen team finished in the top three in the Day 1 competitions, outclassed by the teams of Iran and Iraq that had also gained two wins, but played fewer matches.
The 2018 Asian Games are continuing to progress.