From taking low stances to use of mirror techniques on the mat against Tajikistan’s Muhammad Ikromov at the Asian Wrestling Championships finals Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov, was in perfect sync with his mind and body. The result being a gold in the 61kg freestyle (non-Olympic) for the Kyrgyzstan national at the New Delhi Asian meet.
Now, with the continental tournament concluded. Ulukbek has started his preparation for the Olympic Qualifiers. The U23 2019 World Champion has decided to fight in the 57kg category for the Olympic Qualifications.
“I am very glad that I managed to win the gold of the Asian Championship. After all, every athlete wants to be on the highest step of the podium. After the quarterfinal bout, I didn’t get very injured. The wrestler from Iran got a finger in the eye. After that, I walked away for a long time. Maybe that’s why the semifinal the fight against a fighter from India was complicated for me.”
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“I will now concentrate on the Olympic Qualifiers and will fight in the 57kg weight category.”
This means, Indian wrestler Ravi Dahiya gets a new challenger in Ulukbek, if he qualifies for the Tokyo Summer Games.
Ravi has already qualified for the Tokyo Games and participated in the Asian Championships with the aim to test his skills. According to Murad Gaidarov, his foreign coach, “Ravi was perfect on the mat. He moved a lot, was flawless with his leg defence and counter-attack”.
If the two wrestlers meet early in the competition it will be like an early final. While Ravi is No.4 in 57kg, Ulukbek is No.8 in 61kg in the UWW rankings. But for now the latter, he is working hard to book a berth for Olympics.
