During the tournament, held from March 25-26, Iranian wrestlers ruled across multiple weight classes.
Leading charges were Saeid Esmaeili (67 kg), Danial Sohrabi (72 kg), Mohammad naghousi (82 kg), Mohammad Hadi Saravi (97 kg) and Fardin Hedayati (130 kg), all earned money.
Additionally, Mohammad Mehdi Keshtkar (63 kg), Alireza Abdevali (77 kg) and Yasin Yazdi (97 kg) claimed silver medals, contributing to 201 points in charge of Iran’s command, securing the championship.
Uzbekistan and Japan came in second and third place respectively, with 168 and 131 points respectively.
The strong performance of the Iranian squad continued its legacy of country’s domination in Greco-Roman wrestling and also headed the medal table following recent successes in the Zagre Blanking Series in February.
Mohammad Mehdi Keshtkar, who competed in Jordan in the 63 kg category, secured victory over Japan’s Godai Mitani and South Korea’s Han Jae Chang, making an impressive run in the final run. However, he ended up finishing with Uzbekistan’s Aitjan Kharmakanov, earning silver with a 13-4 loss.
Saeid Esmaeili, who competed in his first official event since the Olympics in Paris, won the 67 kg category. He defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Razak Beisheev 3-0 in the final. “The level of competition was high, especially for wrestlers in Japan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan,” the Iranian athlete said after his victory.
Also fresh from the Olympic victory, Danial Sorabi showed amazing skills in the 72 kg weight class. He won the final with an 8-0 victory over Uzbekistan’s Abdullah Aliyev. Sorabi previously dominated the competition and won each match without acknowledging points.
Mohammad Nagushi added to Iran’s gold medal tally in the 82 kg category, beating Kazakhstan’s Omar Satayev 3-1, beating him 3-1 in the fierce final.
Similarly, Mohammad Hadi Sarabi dominated the 97 kg category, where he won the final 8-0 against Japan’s China Yuri Nakazato, maintaining a perfect streak in the recent competition.
In the 130 kg final, Fardin Hedayati showed off his strength and scored another gold for Iran, beating Kazakhstan’s Alimkan Sizdakov 7-0.
A close contest with a new star
The Iranian champions were bright and bright, but they also saw tough battles in the tournament. Alireza Abdevali fought bravely in the 77 kg category and won silver after a narrow 4-2 defeat to Uzbekistan’s Alam Vardanyan, the silver medalist at the World Championships.
Similarly, Yasin Yazdi claimed silver in the 97 kg category after the final of the competition with Uzbekistan’s Jalgasbay Berdimuratov.
In other weight classes, Iran’s efforts in the 55 kg and 60 kg categories did not reach medals. Pouya Dadmarz faced a difficult second round defeat to North Korean Yu Chol ro, and Pouya Nasserpour lost his fifth place match against Japan’s Kaito Inaba.
Team control
The Iranian team’s overall score of 201 points highlighted the depth of talent and temperament within the team. The team far surpassed Uzbekistan, which scored 168 points and Japan, which finished in the top three with 131 points.
The victory comes shortly after Iran’s powerful show at the 2024 Under-23 World Championships, positioning them as one of the favourites of future international competitions, including the World Championships later this year.
As Iran continues to dominate Greco-Roman wrestling, the focus is now shifting to preparing for the World Championships, with many of these athletes looking to gain momentum and secure additional titles in the country.
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