By Rumaiza Norova
Toyohashi, Japan, September 21, 2026: Abdul Vakhkhob Rashidov defeated Japan’s Yugo Kozaki 7–5 in the men’s -67kg kumite final, giving Uzbekistan its first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
Rashidov had moved confidently through the draw before facing the home favourite. He opened with an 8–0 victory over Hong Kong, China’s
Cheng Hui Pan and followed it with a 5–1 quarterfinal win over Palestine’s Mahmoud Daifallah before advancing past Jordan’s Abdel Rahman Almasatfa in the semifinal.
“The emotions are great, the mood is great. Alhamdulillah, everything is good,” Rashidov said in Uzbek after the final. “It was the result
we expected. Endless thanks to God.”
The setting made the title bout feel different from the rounds before it. Most of the spectators were behind Kozaki, while a much smaller group of Uzbek supporters tried to match the home crowd with chants of their own throughout the final.
Asked whether competing in front of a crowd largely supporting his opponent had affected him, Rashidov gave a short answer: “Everything is always under control.”
Kozaki and Rashidov had already been among the leading performers in the division earlier in the season. At the Karate1 Premier League in.Rome, Kozaki won gold while Rashidov finished took bronze.
Rashidov also arrived in Japan as a senior world medalist. He took bronze in the men’s -67kg category at the 2025 World Karate Championships in Cairo, placing him on a world podium before his Asian Games victory.
In Toyohashi, however, the significance extended beyond another individual medal. Rashidov’s 7–5 victory opened Uzbekistan’s gold medal account at the Games.
When the medal ceremony began, the athlete who had spent the final competing against the home favourite stood on the highest step of the podium. The Uzbek supporters had been smaller in number, but they had
the gold medal to celebrate.