Asian Games: Abdumalik Khalokov won gold in boxing, Muzaffarbek Turoboyev in judo

Asian Games: Abdumalik Khalokov wins gold in boxing, Muzaffarbek Turoboyev in judo

At the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, two more Uzbekistani athletes have won gold medals.

Abdumalik Khalokov entered the ring for the final bout in the -60 kg weight category against South Korea's Jang Dong-wan. Khalokov defeated his opponent 5:0 in the match, becoming a two-time Asian Games champion.

"We promised our people and our president that we would bring back gold medals, and I am very happy to have kept our promise. Of course, this medal is not just mine, it belongs to my coaches as well. They set tactical tasks for me, and by executing those tactics, I achieved a beautiful victory. I dedicate this gold medal to my coaches. I sincerely congratulate them on their past holiday. We exist because they exist. We have big goals ahead of us. We will strive, we will make efforts, and we will continue to raise the flag of Uzbekistan high and make our people and our president happy," Khalokov said after the fight.

Speaking about the fight, Khalokov said that he fought the first two rounds according to the coaches' instructions, and the final round according to his own desire.

"To be honest, my coaches told me to just move around and deceive him, that nothing else was needed. After winning two rounds, when the third round came, I said I had to fight. My blood was boiling, and I said I could easily fight and hit him, it didn't matter. They said, 'Okay, just be careful,' and you know how men have aggression—we let that aggression out in the third round," said the Asian Games champion.

Additionally, judoka Muzaffarbek Turoboyev also became a two-time Asian Games champion. He defeated a Japanese judoka in the final of the +100 kg weight category.

Turoboyev had also won a gold medal at the Hangzhou-2022 Asian Games. Thus, the number of gold medals in Uzbekistan's tally has reached 19.