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Olympic silver medalist Akzhol Makhmudov (KGZ) followed his 82kg title at Asian Championships with a gold medal at the Ranking Series in Almaty which included wins over World silver medalist Burhan Akbudak (TUR) and bronze medalist Pejman POSHTAM (IRI).
Makhmudov clashed with Akbudak in the quarterfinals and led 4-3 at the break despite giving up a passivity. He added another point in the second period to extend his lead to 5-3. Akbudak scored a stepout with two seconds remaining and got another point as Makhmudov was warned for fleeing. But Makhmudov held on for a 5-5 criteria win.
In the final, he made it look easy against Poshtam. He used two head-pinches for four points each to win 9-0.
"Today I've wrestled well, but not perfect," Makhmudov said. "I wasn't in my best shape, because I caught a cold. That's why I was trying to be active right from the beginning of the match. If I had given up some points, I wouldn't have been able to score them back."
Makhmudov's experience of wrestling at the Olympics and other high-level events is reflected in his game plan. He said that he is planning in advance for everyone.
"I am getting ready for every match, analyzing the wrestling of each opponent," he said. "I was getting ready for the final match the same way, so everything was planned in advance, you can now call me a 'professor.'"
#WrestleAlmaty
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