Kazakhstan's men's volleyball team ended its losing streak at the Asian Games in Japan. After defeats to Pakistan and Japan, the Kazakh athletes defeated Uzbekistan 3:1 (13:25, 25:22, 25:22, 25:17), infohub.kz reports.

Having already lost any chance of a medal, the neighbors contested third place in Group A in their head-to-head match. The match was hard-fought and uncompromising. Sergei Trikoz's charges, who lost the first set outright, found their pride in the second. Finally playing to their potential, the Kazakhs won two nerve-wracking set endings in a row. And in the fourth set they wore down their opponents.

Outside hitter Asylkhan Izbergenuly brought the team 10 points, while his fellow outside hitter Vladislav Mastikhin scored 9.

Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will continue the Asian Games with matches for 9th-16th places. The best teams in our group, Japan and Pakistan, will compete for medals.

ASIAN GAMES 2026
Volleyball. Men
Group A
🏐 PAKISTAN – KAZAKHSTAN 3:1, JAPAN – UZBEKISTAN 3:0, PAKISTAN – UZBEKISTAN 3:0, JAPAN – KAZAKHSTAN 3:0, KAZAKHSTAN – UZBEKISTAN 3:1
1. Japan – 6, 2. Pakistan – 6, 3. Kazakhstan – 3, 4. Uzbekistan – 0

Group B
🏐 IRAN – KYRGYZSTAN 3:0, THAILAND – INDONESIA 3:2, INDONESIA – KYRGYZSTAN 3:0, IRAN – THAILAND 3:0, KYRGYZSTAN – THAILAND 0:3
1. Iran – 6, 2. Thailand – 5, 3. Indonesia – 4, 4. Kyrgyzstan – 0

Group C
🏐 QATAR – HONG KONG 3:1, INDIA – VIETNAM 3:0, INDIA – HONG KONG 3:0, QATAR – VIETNAM 3:0, HONG KONG – VIETNAM 1:3
1. India – 6, 2. Qatar – 6, 3. Vietnam – 3, 4. Hong Kong – 0

Group D
🏐 SOUTH KOREA – PHILIPPINES 3:0, CHINA – CHINESE TAIPEI 3:2, CHINA – PHILIPPINES 3:0, SOUTH KOREA – CHINESE TAIPEI 3:1
1. South Korea – 6, 2. China – 5, 3. Chinese Taipei – 1, 4. Philippines – 0

The men's volleyball tournament at the Asian Games has been held since 1958. Japan has won it more often than any other country. Kazakhstan's national team has never finished on the podium.

The XX Summer Asian Games officially opened on September 19 and will end on October 4. Athletes from 45 countries are competing for 460 sets of medals. Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games includes 558 athletes in 35 sports.

On the first day of the Games, Kazakhstan won four gold medals. Cyclists Rinata Sultanova and Alexey Lutsenko became champions of the Games, as did karatekas Zholaman Bigabyl and Sofya Berultseva. MMA fighter Yerkingali Burkutalin added a fifth gold to the team's tally. A sixth came from his fellow mixed martial arts teammate Kadyrbek Shynbayev. On September 23, Lutsenko became a two-time champion of the 2026 Asian Games. The eighth gold medal was won on September 24 by rowers Vladislav Yakovlev and Ivan Chernukhin in the men's coxless pairs. The ninth gold medal was won by our epee fencing team.

After nine days of the Games, Kazakhstan was in fifth place in the unofficial medal standings.