DUSHANBE, August 12, 2008, Asia-Plus — Rasoul Boqiyev, one of the top judokas in Tajikistan in the -73 kg category, has won the first medal for Tajikistan in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing by defeating Dirk van Tichelt of Belgium.
Judoka Rasoul Boqiyev won the first bronze medal in the -73 kg category yesterday, defeating Dirk van Tichelt of Belgium with a yuko and a koka. This is Tajikistan”s first medal of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
In the semifinal, our athlete lost to Wang Ki-chun, a 19-year-old judoka from the Republic of Korea, who had impressed the world with a victory over 2004 Athens champion Lee Won-hee at the 2007 World Championships. Wang Ki-chun finished second; in the final, he lost to Azeri judoka Elnur Mammadli.
We will recall that Rasoul Boqiyev, ranked No 3 in the world in his weight category, claimed his Olympic berth by finishing third at the 2007 World Judo Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
