Hotak Makes History as Wushu Team Ends Asian Games With Two Bronzes
Mohammad Khalid Hotak and Hamed Ashrafi won bronze medals as Afghanistan completed its wushu campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Hotak’s third Asian Games bronze made him the first Afghan athlete to win medals at three consecutive editions of the Games.
Afghanistan ended its wushu campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with two bronze medals on Wednesday, as Mohammad Khalid Hotak added another chapter to his Games record and Hamed Ashrafi collected his first medal at the event.
Hotak and Ashrafi had already guaranteed themselves medals by reaching the sanda semifinals. Both then faced Chinese opponents on September 23 and were beaten on points, leaving Afghanistan with bronze in the men’s 70kg and 65kg divisions.
Hotak’s bronze was his third at the Asian Games.
The Afghan captain reached the men’s 70kg semifinal after victories over opponents from Yemen and Indonesia. China’s Ma Shuo stopped his run to the final with a win by points on Wednesday.
Hotak had previously won bronze in the men’s 65kg sanda competition at Jakarta 2018 and another bronze in the 70kg division at Hangzhou 2022.
His latest result means he has won a medal at three consecutive Asian Games, a first for an Afghan athlete.
Ashrafi, competing in the men’s 65kg division, also put together two victories on his way to the last four.
He opened his campaign with a 2–0 victory over Tong Hong Jio of Macao before defeating Indonesia’s Samuel Marbun 2–0 in the quarterfinal.
Ashrafi then met China’s Wang Chenjin in the semifinal on Wednesday. The Chinese fighter won by points, ending Ashrafi’s bid for the final and confirming bronze for the Afghan.
Two other Afghan wushu athletes left the competition without medals.
Shahzada Safi was eliminated in the men’s 52kg division, while Mohammad Jafar Sultani went out in the men’s 75kg competition.
Sultani’s opponent was from Kyrgyzstan, correcting earlier information that had identified the opponent as representing Kazakhstan.
With Hotak and Ashrafi eliminated in the semifinals and Afghanistan’s other two competitors already out, Afghanistan’s wushu campaign closes with two bronze medals.
The results also add to Afghanistan’s medal haul in Japan after cyclist Fariba Hashimi won silver in the women’s road race.
