Qassempour heading to Zagreb Open in one last shot at Paris slot
Iranian freestyle wrestler Kamran Qassempour will make a final attempt to secure a berth at next year’s Paris Olympics when taking part at the Zagreb Open Ranking Series, starting January 10.
Qassempour will participate in the 97kg contests – one of six freestyle weight classes in Paris – in the Croatian capital as he will be looking to add the Olympic glory to his double 92kg world golds in 2021 and 2022.
The Iranian missed out on last week’s National Championships – serving as the trials for the international events – due to a hamstring injury but Iran head coach Mohsen Kaveh and his technical staff were convinced to give him a second chance for the Olympic slot.
The injury setback kept Qassempour from defending his title in September’s World Championships in Belgrade, as well as the Hangzhou Asian Games in October.
Qassempour’s previous international appearance came in last December’s Freestyle World Cup in Coralville, Iowa, where he represented the country in the 92kg contests before falling to a 5-0 defeat against American great Kyle Snyder – a winner of four world and Olympic golds – in the final showdown’s 97kg bout.
Two-time world under-23 champion Amir-Ali Azarpira emerged as a contender for a place in the Iranian squad in Paris after winning the 97kg title at the National Championships in Sari.
Mohammad-Hossein Mohammadian, who was the Iranian 97kg wrestler at the Tokyo Olympics, looked to be the favorite for the top spot after a first-round victory over injured Mojtaba Goleij but came short against Azarpira in the final showpiece.
Iran has already been guaranteed three freestyle slots at the Olympics, thanks to world medal-winning campaigns for Hassan Yazdani (86kg) and Amirhossein Zare’ (125kg), plus Rahman Amouzad’s fifth-place finish in the 65kg contests – with the 57kg, 74kg, and 97kg spots at stake.
A former world U20 and U23 bronze medalist, Ahmad Mohammadnejad Javan dominated the 57kg contests in Sari, defeating 2021 world silver winner Alireza Sarlak in the final, and will likely be Iran’s top choice to chase the Olympic quota in the coming months.
Hossein Abouzari, meanwhile, made the most of Amirmohammad Yazdani’s below-par performance in Sari to grab the 74kg gold and will be joined by Mohammad Nokhodi – 79kg bronze medalist in Belgrade – in an international tournament to decide who will represent the country in April’s Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as well as the Olympic qualifiers.