Kazakhstan's team added two more medals to its Asian Games 2026 tally in Japan in jiu-jitsu: Merei Kabdullaev won silver in the up to 85 kg weight category, and Marian Zhuravleva took bronze in the up to 63 kg category, reports infohub.kz.
Kabdullaev's path to the final began with a semifinal bout against Abdurakhman Murtazaliev of Kyrgyzstan, which the Kazakh won 4-2. In the decisive match, his opponent was Abdullah Tarik Nada of Saudi Arabia. Losing 0-7, Kabdullaev finished the Asian Games with a silver medal.
Zhuravleva started with a victory over South Korean athlete Choi Hee Ju, 2-0. In the quarterfinals, the Kazakh lost to Alexandria Lous Henriquez of the Philippines and continued her medal quest through the repechage. In the consolation bout, she defeated Nguyen Thi Minh Vuong of Vietnam and earned the right to fight for third place. In the bronze medal match, Zhuravleva faced Maya Ishakat of Jordan and won 2-0.
Other Kazakh representatives in these categories finished without medals. Ali Imanverdiyev in the up to 85 kg weight lost to South Korean Son Tae Mu, 0-2. Azhar Salykova in the up to 63 kg category also failed to continue her medal pursuit.
Earlier, Seilkhan Bolatbek brought Kazakhstan bronze in the up to 77 kg weight. Previously, Nurzhan Batyrbekov won silver, and Zhibek Kulumbetova took bronze. Thus, with the medals of Kabdullaev and Zhuravleva, Kazakh jiu-jitsu athletes have won five medals at the Games – two silver and three bronze.
The XX Summer Asian Games in Japan officially opened on September 19. The competitions, featuring athletes from 45 countries, will award 460 sets of medals. Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games includes 558 athletes in 35 sports.