Pakistan’s Noman Zaka and Mohammad Abdullah failed to advance in freestyle wrestling at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya on Friday. Taekwondo fighter Shahzaib Khan also exited in the opening round.
Noman Zaka Reaches Quarter-Finals
Noman Zaka made a strong start in the men’s 86kg freestyle event.
He defeated Cambodia’s Vuthy Heng in the round of 16 at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center. Zaka built an 8-4 lead in the opening period.
He added two more points before winning the bout by fall. The victory sent him into the quarter-finals.
Zaka, however, faced a tough challenge against Japan’s Hayato Ishiguro.
Ishiguro dominated the bout and won 10-0 by technical superiority. The Japanese wrestler did not concede a point.
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Ishiguro is a 2025 Zagreb World Championship silver medallist.
Zaka then received a chance through the repechage. He faced Kazakhstan’s Azamat Dauletbekov.
Dauletbekov won 10-0 by technical superiority. He scored five two-point moves to end Zaka’s hopes of reaching the bronze-medal contest.
Dauletbekov is a two-time world bronze medallist and three-time Asian champion.
Abdullah Loses Opening Bout
Mohammad Abdullah suffered defeat in the men’s 65kg freestyle qualification round.
He lost 13-2 to North Korea’s Kim Kwang Jin.
Kim controlled the contest through a series of two-point moves. Abdullah managed to score two points but could not stop his opponent’s attack.
Kim won by technical superiority and advanced to the round of 16.
Pakistan had entered four wrestlers in the Asian Games competition. The squad included Abdullah, Noman Zaka, Inayatullah and Mohammad Gulzar.
Shahzaib Khan Also Exits
Pakistan’s top taekwondo fighter Shahzaib Khan also suffered an early exit.
He lost 2-1 to Vietnam’s Nguyen Hong Trong in the men’s under-58kg event.
Shahzaib started strongly at the Toyohashi Gymnasium. He edged Nguyen 12-11 in the opening round.
The Vietnamese fighter responded in the second round. Nguyen won 8-0 to level the contest.
Nguyen then dominated the decisive third round. He won 13-0 to complete a 2-1 victory.
Shahzaib could not score in the final two rounds after his promising opening performance.
Federation Chief Questions Performance
Pakistan Taekwondo Federation chairman Col Mohammad Wasim described the result as disappointing.
“It is a disappointing result,” Wasim told The Express Tribune.
He questioned how Shahzaib lost control after winning the first round 12-11. Wasim also criticised the fighter and coach Karami for failing to manage the contest effectively.
Shahzaib had previously won bronze at the President’s Cup in Lahore. The event featured competition of a standard comparable to major Asian-level tournaments.
