Cheglakov gives Uzbekistan first Asian Games wrestling gold

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, October 05, 2002

Cheglakov gives Uzbekistan first Asian Games wrestling gold

Uzbekistan won their first ever Asian Games wrestling gold medal on Friday when Aleksei Cheglakov defeated South Korea's Park Myung-Suk in the final of the Greco-Roman 96-kilogram division.

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Uzbekistan won their first ever Asian Games wrestling gold medal on Friday when Aleksei Cheglakov defeated South Korea's Park Myung-Suk in the final of the Greco-Roman 96-kilogram division.

Uzbekistan shared the spotlight with the hosts as world champion Dilshod Aripov narrowly lost to Kang Kyung-Li in the 60-kilogram class final.

The 28-year-old Cheglakov's victory was Uzbekistan's first in the sport since the former Soviet republic made its Asian Games debut at Hiroshima games in 1994.

Chegalov scored five points when he brought down Park in a kneeling position and went on to win without facing any serious threat.

"My aim is to win a gold at the Olympics," said the Tashkent citizen who celebrated his win by draping the Uzbek flag around his shoulders.

Kang needed an extra three minutes to beat Aripov, who was alsoAsian champion in 2000.

"The final was very difficult and I felt like dying after nine long minutes," said the 25-year-old South Korean, who won the Poland Open last year.

The hosts opened the gold-medal hunt when world bronze medallist Kim Jin-Soo beat Kazakhstan's Danil Khalimov on a narrowpoint margin to clinch his country's fifth straight 74-kilogram class title at the Games.

Meanwhile, China's Xu Haiyan stopped a late charge from Japan'sKaori Icho to win the freestyle 63-kilogram class final.

South Korea stood with three gold medals, against two for Kazakhstan and one each for Japan, Iran and Uzbekistan in the men's contest.

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