Kazakh athlete Arailym Shegenova has claimed bronze at the XX Summer Asian Games 2026, hosted by Aichi and Nagoya in Japan. The medal made history: Kazakhstan's women's kurash team had never before reached the podium at the Asian Games, infohub.kz reports.
The 29-year-old Shegenova competed in the over-87-kilogram weight class. In the semifinals she faced Kim Min Yeong of South Korea and lost 1:0. Because the competition rules do not provide for separate third-place bouts, the Kazakh athlete was automatically awarded the bronze medal.
Shegenova began her run to the podium with two convincing victories. In the round of 16 she routed Duong Thanh Thanh of Vietnam 5:0, and in the quarterfinals she got the better of South Korea's Park Jong-won 3:0.
This is Kazakhstan's second medal in kurash at the 2026 Asian Games. A day earlier, Adilet Akhmetgali took bronze in the under-81-kilogram category.
Kurash is a traditional belt-wrestling sport in which athletes grapple exclusively from a standing position. Once a competitor falls, the bout does not continue on the ground.
The XX Summer Asian Games in Japan officially opened on September 19. Athletes from 45 countries are taking part, competing for 460 sets of medals. Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games comprises 558 athletes in 35 sports.