Rashidov defeated Japan’s Yugo Kozaki 7–5 in the final to become the first Uzbek athlete to win gold for the country at the Games.
He began his campaign with an 8–0 victory over Cheng Hui Pan of Hong Kong in the round of 16. Rashidov then beat Mahmoud Daifallah of Palestine 5–1 in the quarterfinals before securing an 8–0 win over Jordan’s Abdulrahman Almustafa in the semifinals.
His victory in the final gave Uzbekistan its first gold medal of the competition.
Before Rashidov’s triumph, the Uzbek delegation had won one silver and one bronze medal.
On September 20, karateka Humoyunmirzo Halimov, competing in the men’s 55 kg category, lost to Kazakhstan’s Zholoman Bigabil in the final and took silver.
Uzbekistan also secured a bronze medal on September 21 after Nodirbek Shavkatov lost to Kazakhstan’s Kadirbek Shinbayev in the semifinals of the modern mixed martial arts competition in the 71 kg category.
With one gold, one silver and one bronze medal, Uzbekistan has now moved into the top 10 of the overall medal standings.
China currently leads the standings with 20 gold, 10 silver and five bronze medals. Host Japan is second with eight gold, 11 silver and 12 bronze medals, while South Korea is third with five gold, three silver and 13 bronze medals.
Kazakhstan is fourth with four gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
