Two Greco-Roman wrestlers from Kazakhstan's national team have advanced to medal bouts at the 2026 Summer Asian Games, according to infohub.kz.
Meiirzhan Shermakhanbet and Shamil Ozhaev will have a chance to win bronze. In the 67 kg category, Shermakhanbet faced Japan's Kyotaro Sogabe in the semifinals and lost to the host country's wrestler 0-8, with the Japanese athlete securing an early victory by technical superiority.
Despite the defeat, the Kazakh will continue his quest for a medal. Today, he will face Mongolia's Ganbayar Namsrai in the bronze medal match.
Another Kazakh, Shamil Ozhaev, competes in the 87 kg category. In the semifinals, he met Asan Zhanyzhov of Kyrgyzstan, and the bout ended in a 6-1 victory for the Kyrgyz athlete.
Ozhaev will now also compete for a bronze medal at the Asian Games. In the decisive third-place match, he will face Zhalgasbay Berdimuratov of Uzbekistan.
The medal bouts involving Shermakhanbet and Ozhaev will take place at Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.
Other Kazakh wrestlers also continued their bronze medal campaigns through repechage on the same day. Olzhas Syrlybay lost to Kim Min-seok of South Korea 1-6 in the 130 kg category, while Zhamilya Bakbergenova was defeated by Mongolia's Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan 0-6 in the 68 kg category. They have thus ended their participation in the tournament.