Rio 2016 Olympian Arslanbek Achilov wins in the Turkmenistan National Cup in Ashgabat

The Turkmenistan National Cup was held for the elite men boxers in Ashgabat which was the last main event in their boxing calendar in 2016. Five defending National Elite Champions were able to get gold medals in the Turkmenistan National Cup and continued their winning path in the city of Ashgabat. Six of the current winners also took the titles in the Turkmenistan National Cup already in the 2012 edition four years ago.
Turkmenistan claimed two great medals in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan this May and one of their athlete Arslanbek Achilov qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Their new Olympian boxer also attended in the Turkmenistan National Cup where more than 120 boxers competed for the medals.
In the first final of the Turkmenistan National Cup AIBA Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event competitor 23-year-old Dayanch Annaseidov defeated Osman Hajiyev who claimed silver medal in the Tishchenko Prizes Tournament in Omsk, Russia. Ikhtyyar Rozyyev was bronze medallist in their National Championships in 2016 and repeated that performance also in the National Cup.
Zarip Jumayev is the lone boxer from Turkmenistan who could beat a Cuban athlete during his career. He is member of the national elite team since 2010 and since then he competed in all of the important boxing events excluding the Olympic Games. The 24-year-old flyweight (52kg) boxer was too strong for 19-year-old Askar Charyyev in the final and continued his unbeaten series in the national events in Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan’s best bantamweight (56kg) boxer, former ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships bronze medallist Yakup Meredov had a tough final in the event but finally his hand was raised against 18-year-old Begench Alymov after the final bell. National Champion Shokhrat Jumayev and National Cup winner 19-year-old Bayramkhan Permanov claimed only bronze medals in the National Cup.
Hursant Imankuliyev was Turkmenistan’s best weapon in the 2014 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Sofia and since then he was able to join to the national elite team as a teenager. Imankuliyev, who turned to 20 this year, attended in the Olympic qualification events this year and those experienced were enough to beat Arslan Urunov in the final of the lightweight (60kg).
Sunnet Annaseidov was amazing as a youth boxer in 2012 and in 2013 and returned to the world of boxing with top performance in the National Cup. In the last edition he claimed only bronze but now he was able to beat Zufar Saparbayev in the gold medal bout while Incheon 2014 Asian Games competitor Shokhrat Durdiyev and 21-year-old Zair Achilov took the bronze medals in the event.
ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships bronze medallist Muhammetmyrat Sahedov attended in the 2014 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Sofia but since then he did not attend in too many events. Sahedov, who was born in 1997, controlled his final fight against 18-year-old Serdar Amangeldiyev who moved up to the welterweight (69kg) in the recent months.
Azizbek Achilov claimed silver medal in the World Olympic Qualification Event in Baku this June and qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as lone boxer from Turkmenistan. He lost to Hungary’s Zoltan Harcsa in a close bout in the August’s event but he proved amazing development. The Olympian middleweight (75kg) boxer defeated in the final of the National Cup a tough hope, Tolkun Gulmammedov who claimed silver second time after 2015.
Arslanbek Achilov attended in the Incheon 2014 Asian Games, in the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships and also in the qualification events in 2016 therefore he was the main favourite of the light heavyweight (81kg) in the National Cup. The experienced boxer was too strong for National Cup winner Ustabek Samandarov who moved up one weight class in the recent months.
Shatlyk Saryyev put himself into the spotlight when he claimed gold medal in the Turkmenistan Youth National Championships in 2012. The 22-year-old boxer is Turkmenistan’s best elite boxer in the heavyweight (91kg) who claimed titles in the recent years and controlled his final against Sovlat Achilov.
Turkmenistan’s 2015 National Champion Arslan Artykov has done a successful final against relatively unknown Rovshen Balshayev in the final of the super heavyweight (+91kg) which was the last one the National Cup. Their defending National Cup winner Gurbandurdy Gummyshev and two-time Youth National Champion 19-year-old Guvanch Akyyev claimed only bronze medals this time.

Winners in the Turkmenistan National Cup
49kg: Dayanch Annaseidov
52kg: Zarip Jumayev
56kg: Yakub Meredov
60kg: Hursant Imankuliyev
64kg: Sunnet Annaseidov
69kg: Muhammetmyrat Sahedov
75kg: Azizbek Achilov
81kg: Arslanbek Achilov
91kg: Shatlyk Saryyev
+91kg: Arslan Artykov