Wrestling U23 World Championships:
Iran looking to complete perfect run in season finale
Iran will be looking to make a clean sweep of six age-group world titles when the season-ending U23 World Championships get underway in Tirana, Albania, next Monday.
The Iranian Greco-Roman and freestyle squads walked away with double team trophies at the world under-17 event in Istanbul in early August, weeks before the country claimed the under-20 titles in Amman.
A gold medalist in the Jordanian capital, Amir-Reza Ma’soumi will headline the Iranian 10-man freestyle team in Tirana, putting his 125kg crown on the line.
Ma’soumi will be joined by another defending champion in Amir-Ali Azarpira, who was a late addition to the Iranian team for the 92kg contests in September’s Senior Worlds in Belgrade – suffering a second-round exit – but will be glad to return to his favorite 97kg division next week.
Mohammad-Mobin Azimi will take part in the 92kg event, fresh from the world and Asian under-20 golds in the summer, while Ali Rezaei will be looking to improve on the 70kg silver he won in Amman, when competing in the 86kg weight class.
Ali Khorramdel settled for a 61kg bronze in Amman but will be eager for a better finish in his new 79kg class.
Milad Valizadeh will represent the country in the 57kg class, stepping into the event on the back of a disappointing campaign in Belgrade, where he was knocked out in the quarterfinals.
Shahdad Khosravi (61kg), Yassin Rezaei (65kg), Mohammad Bakhshi (70kg), and Salar Habibi (74kg) complete the Iranian freestyle lineup in the Albanian capital.
Iran bagged four golds and a silver in the previous under-23 event in the Spanish city of Pontevedra but still had to settle for a runner-up finish behind Georgia.
Hedayati on high
In the Greco-Roman competitions, Fardin Hedayati will be the other Iranian superheavyweight wrestler to watch as he will compete in the 130kg contests following dominant performances in the world and Asian under-20 championships.
Alireza Mohmadi fell to a shock first-round defeat last year in Pontevedra, but the world No. 1 in the UWW Rankings will be the ultimate favorite for the 82kg crown after a stunning campaign at the Senior Worlds, which saw the young Iranian – a former world under-20 champion – grab a precious silver medal.
Iman Mohammadi (63kg) and Danial Sohrabi (67kg) will also be among the hopefuls for top-podium finishes, having won the ultimate prize of their respective weight classes last year.
Mohammadi will walk onto the mat as a reigning back-to-back senior Asian champion, while Sohrabi – a 72kg contestant in Belgrade – took the bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games less than a fortnight ago.
A bronze medalist last year, Amir Abdi will fancy his chances for a second medal in the 72kg competitions, while Mohammad Naqousi will participate in the 77kg class with world junior gold and bronze medals under his belt.
Abolfazl Choubani will seek a better finish than the silver-winning run in Amman, though he will see tough competition from reigning champion Istvan Takacs from Hungary as well as Georgian Achiko Bolkvadze, who beat the Iranian to the U20 gold, in the 87kg event.
Mahdi Ahadi (55kg), Omid Arami (60kg), and Vahid Dadkhah (97kg) will also be part of the squad as Iran will chase a second Greco-Roman crown in a row – third in four years.