Tashkent, Uzbekistan, January 4, 2023: Six of Uzbekistan’s leading athletes have targeted winning gold medals at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China as a top priority in 2023.
The National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan on Tuesday, January 3 asked a number of famous athletes to describe their goals for 2023 in a single sentence; the universal view was becoming the champion at the Asian Games in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8..
The six athletes polled were boxers Bahadir Jalolov and Abdumalik Khalokov, triple jumper Sharifa Davronova, taekwondo duo Svetlana Osipova and Niyaz Pulatov and judoka Muzaffarbek Turoboyev.
Jalolov, super heavyweight gold medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and 2019 World Championships, is aiming to win gold in Hangzhou along with defending his title at the 2023 World Championships and entering the top-10 in the super heavyweight category in professional boxing.
Teenage triple jump sensation Davronova, winner of gold medals at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey and World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia last year, has singled out winning her first Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou, as has taekwondo pair Osipova and Pulatov.
Lightweight Khalokov, 22, gold medallist at both the 2018 Youth World Championships and 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, is targeting Asian Games glory as well as securing a qualifying berth for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Another 22-year-old, judoka Turoboyev, reigning world champion in the -100kg class, is also focused on winning an Asian Games gold medal.