Iran to go all out for GR glory in Asian Games: Report
The Iranian Wrestling Federation has picked the Greco-Roman team for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, ISNA reported.
For four members of the team the wrestling event in the Far East – starting October 4 – will come 10 days after their campaigns at the World Championships conclude in Belgrade, Serbia, but the Iranian federation has still decided to take a full-strength squad to the Games.
The Tokyo Olympic champion, Mohammadreza Geraei, who will be chasing a third successive world medal in the Serbian capital, is willing to represent the country in the 67kg weight class in Hangzhou, ISNA wrote, though he could be replaced by Saeed Esmaeili due to the tough weight loss process in the buildup to the Games.
Superheavyweight wrestler Amin Mirzazadeh, looking to improve on last year’s world final defeat, will be the favorite to walk away with the ultimate prize in the 130kg contests in Hangzhou, while Mohammad-Hadi Saravi, the Iranian 97kg contestant in the Wrestling Worlds, will hope to add the Games gold to his impressive medal haul, which includes the Tokyo Olympic bronze and the 2021 world gold in Oslo.
Also an Iranian representative in Belgrade, Nasser Alizadeh will take part in the 87kg competitions on the back of three successive gold-winning campaigns at the Asian Championships – the last of which came in April.
Meysam Dalkhani – a world gold medalist in 2021 – made his return from a long-time injury to win the gold in February’s Ranking Series event in Alexandria, Egypt, and despite missing out on a place in the Iranian team in Belgrade, will be eyeing the coveted 60kg gold in October.
Two-time world junior champion and a double Asian gold medalist Amin Kavianinejad (77kg) will complete the country’s Greco-Roman lineup for the Asian Games.