Pakistan Wrestlers Noman Zaka and Abdullah Exit Asian Games
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Noman Zaka reaches quarter-finals before losing to Japanese and Kazakh opponents, while Shahzaib Khan also exits in taekwondo
KARACHI: Pakistan’s wrestlers Noman Zaka and Muhammad Abdullah were unable to progress further in their respective freestyle wrestling events at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya.
Noman Zaka, competing in the 86kg category, made a strong start by defeating Cambodia’s Vuthy Heng in the round of 16 at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.
The Pakistani wrestler built an 8-4 lead in the opening period and extended his advantage to 10-4 before securing victory by fall and advancing to the quarter-finals.
However, Noman faced a difficult challenge in the last eight, where Japan’s Hayato Ishiguro recorded a 10-0 victory by technical superiority. Ishiguro, who won a silver medal at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, controlled the bout throughout.
Noman was given another opportunity through the repechage but could not make it count. Kazakhstan’s Azamat Dauletbekov defeated him 10-0 to end his hopes of reaching the bronze-medal contest.
Dauletbekov, a two-time world bronze medallist and three-time Asian champion, secured the victory after building a 10-0 lead through several scoring moves.
Abdullah Loses Opening Bout
Muhammad Abdullah also saw his Asian Games campaign end in the opening stage of the men’s 65kg freestyle competition.
He was defeated 13-2 by North Korea’s Kim Kwang Jin in the qualification round. Kim established a comfortable lead through a series of scoring moves, while Abdullah managed to register only two points.
The North Korean wrestler eventually secured victory by technical superiority and advanced to the round of 16.
Shahzaib Khan Out of Taekwondo
Pakistan also suffered an early exit in taekwondo, with Shahzaib Khan losing his opening-round bout in the men’s -58kg category.
Shahzaib faced Vietnam’s Nguyen Hong Trong at the Toyohashi Gymnasium. The Pakistani fighter started strongly and narrowly won the first round 12-11.
Nguyen responded in the second round, winning 8-0 to level the contest. The Vietnamese athlete then dominated the decisive third round, winning 13-0 to secure a 2-1 victory.
Pakistan Taekwondo Federation Chairman Col Mohammad Wasim expressed disappointment over Shahzaib’s performance after his strong start.
Shahzaib had previously won a bronze medal at the President’s Cup in Lahore, a tournament that featured competition of a similar standard to the Asian Games.
Pakistan’s athletes will continue their campaigns in other events as the Asian Games competition progresses.
