Janarbek Kenjeev (also Zhanarbek Kenzheyev, Russian: Жанарбек Кенжеев; born August 5, 1985, in Talas) is an amateur Kyrgyz Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's light heavyweight category.[1] Considered one of Asia's top wrestlers in his decade, Kenjeev has collected a total of five medals at the Asian Championships, picked up two bronze in the 84-kg division at the Asian Games (2006 and 2010), and also represented his nation Kyrgyzstan, as a 19-year-old teen, at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Throughout his sporting career, Kenjeev trains for Sduschor 1 Wrestling Club in Bishkek, under his personal coach Hakim Makhmudov.

Janarbek Kenjeev
Personal information
Full nameJanarbek Kenjeev
Nationality Kyrgyzstan
Born (1985-08-05) 5 August 1985 (age 39)
Talas, Kirghizia,
Soviet Union
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight84 kg (185 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleGreco-Roman
ClubSduschor 1
CoachHakim Makhmudov
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing  Kyrgyzstan
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Doha 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Guangzhou 84 kg
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Astana 80 kg
Silver medal – second place 2004 Almaty 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Wuhan 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Bishkek 84 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2010 New Delhi 84 kg

Kenjeev qualified for the Kyrgyz squad in the men's 84 kg class at the 2004 Summer Olympics by gaining an allocated bid and placing fourth from the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro.[2] He lost three straight matches to Sweden's Ara Abrahamian, Japan's Shingo Matsumoto, and Slovakia's Attila Bátky in the four-man prelim pool, finishing thirteenth overall in the final standings.[3]

At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, Kenjeev came strong in the same tournament, and proceeded to take home the bronze medal in a match against the host nation's Idrees Rahman with a 14–6 decision.

Kenjeev also sought his bid to compete for his second Olympics in Beijing and possibly London, but finished farther from the top spot twice in the Olympic Qualification Tournament. Despite a double Olympic setback, Kenjeev managed to collect another bronze medal in the 84-kg division at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, outclassing India's Manoj Kumar by a three-point advantage.[4][5]

Ten years after competing in his first Olympics, Kenjeev reached the peak of his sporting career as he defeated Iranian wrestler Yousef Ghaderian for the gold in the 80-kg division at the 2014 Asian Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, producing a remarkable medal tally of five (the other contained a silver and three bronze).[6]

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Janarbek Kenjeev". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  2. ^ Abbott, Gary (28 July 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 84 kg/185 lbs. in men's Greco-Roman". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 84kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Indian grapplers draw blank in Day 2 of Asian Games wrestling". Indian Express. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Asian Games wrestling: Manoj goes down in bronze-medal match". News One (Pakistani TV channel). 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Iran's Greco-Roman Team Comes 3rd in Asian Championship". Tasnim News Agency. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
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