Nagoya:Bahrain continues to excel at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, maintaining its position as the leading Arab nation and holding seventh place in Asia. As of now, Bahrain has secured a total of 21 medals, which includes 11 gold, five silver, and five bronze.
According to Bahrain News Agency, judoka Askerbi and Mohamed Alouf both finished fifth in their respective categories. Askerbi competed in the -81kg category, defeating Bangladesh's Islam Amirul in the Round of 16. However, he lost to Japan's Sotaro Fujiwara in the quarter-finals, and after a victory over Hong Kong's Lee Kwok-wing in the repechage, he was again defeated by the same opponent in the bronze medal bout. Alouf, participating in the -73kg category, defeated Laos' Nouvinvong Xaysonechong in the Round of 16, but lost to UAE's Kazbek Nagushev in the quarter-finals. He advanced in the repechage by overcoming the Philippines' Gabriel Benedict Coitain before being defeated by Japan's Tatsuki Ishihara in the bronze medal bout.
Jiu-jitsu competitor Abdullah Ali advanced to the Round of 32 in the 62kg category, where he defeated Tajikistan's Nurullah Shafai. However, he was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Tajikistan's Talibek Baishev.
The wrestling events are set to commence early Friday, with three Bahraini athletes participating in the freestyle wrestling category. Shamil Sharipov will compete in the 125kg category, Khudair Saiboudinov in the 86kg category, and Ali Beg Ali Begov in the 65kg category. The team aims to advance through the early rounds to secure a medal.
In other competitions, Khalid Faraj will represent Bahrain in the -94kg jiu-jitsu category, and Fatima Al-Klawadh will compete in the -49kg taekwondo category, entering the Round of 16.