Kazakh taekwondo athlete Batyrkhan Toleugali has claimed a bronze medal at the 2026 Summer Asian Games hosted by Japan, infohub.kz reports.
Competing for Kazakhstan's national team in the under-80-kilogram weight class, Toleugali fought his way into the semifinals, where he was stopped by Hung Chun-i of Chinese Taipei.
The bout for a place in the final was a hard-fought contest that went the full three rounds. The first round ended level at 0:0 but was awarded to Toleugali. In the second, his opponent from Chinese Taipei seized a commanding 11:0 advantage. Toleugali tried to turn the tide in the final round but fell 5:7. The rounds went 2:1 in favor of the athlete from Chinese Taipei.
Toleugali's run thus ended at the semifinal stage, earning him a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games. Taekwondo competitions do not hold a separate third-place bout, so athletes who lose in the semifinals are awarded bronze.