Tajikistan claimed the first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China after young judoka Somon Mahmadbekov, 24, finished first in the half-middleweight (−81 kg), defeating in final Korean judoka Lee Joon-hwan.
By the way, it is the first gold medal won by Tajikistan in this at the Asian Games.
Another Tajik judoka Behrouz Khojazoda won the bronze medal in the lightweight category.
More than 100 Tajik athletes are participating in the 19th Asian Games in China. They are competing for medals in eighteen of forty sports being played in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Tajikistan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) counts on successful performance of boxers, judokas and wrestlers.
Since 1994, Tajik athletes have participated in seven Asian Games and won 28 medals, including four gold medals, including three gold medals won by hummer thrower Dilshod Nazarov and one gold medal won by boxer Jahon Qurbonov.
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every fourth year among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games, they have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), after the breakup of the Asian Games Federation. The Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and are described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.
Nine nations have hosted the Asian Games. Forty-six nations have participated in the Games, including Israel, which was excluded from the Games after its last participation in 1974. The most recent games were held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, from August 18 to September 2, 2018.
Since 2010, host cities manage both the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, the latter an event for athletes with disabilities to compete with each other. The Asian Para Games are held immediately following the Asian Games, but the exclusion of Asian Para Games from any Asian Games host city contract means that both events will run independently of each other.
