In the decisive match, Akmataliev faced American wrestler Alex Pontaleo. In the final minutes of the bout, Pontaleo was leading with a score of 4:3 when Kurbanaliev, passing by the central mat with Ibrahim Ibrahimov, noticed that the judges had mistakenly awarded additional points to the opponent.
The coach tried to alert the seconds of the Kyrgyz team, but ultimately initiated the challenge himself. After reviewing the episode, the judges canceled the extra points, and the score changed to 3:2 in favor of Akmataliev.
“I pulled him out. I approached and shouted, but he didn’t hear, so I pressed it myself,” Kurbanaliev commented after the match.
It is worth noting that in the first match of this tournament, Akmataliev defeated Ibrahimov, after which Kurbanaliev remarked that his protégé was significantly stronger than the Kyrgyzstani wrestler.
