Zagreb Open Ranking Series:
Azarpira stuns Snyder; no superheavyweight surprise as Zare’ dominates
Iranian wrestling’s rising star Amir-Ali Azarpira showcased his resolve to go all the way to book a place at the Paris Olympics by coming from behind to beat American great Kyle Snyder 6-3 for the freestyle 97kg gold in the Zagreb Open Ranking Series.
Reigning world champion Amirhossein Zare’ picked up where he left off last year as he walked away with an easy 5-0 victory over fellow-Iranian Amir-Reza Ma’soumi – national gold winner in December – in the 125kg final, which settled the country’s superheavyweight berth for the Games in the French capital.
Walking into Thursday’s final on the back of double technical-superiority wins, Zare’ proved to be in a league of his own in the weight class and remains the ultimate favorite to grab the gold in Paris.
This was Iran’s third gold in Zagreb following Mohammad Nokhodi’s triumph in the non-Olympic 79kg contests, thanks to a 6-0 victory over Georgian Avtandil Kentchadze.
The two-time world silver medalist stepped into the final after a grueling semifinal against American Evan Wick, in which he gave away a six-point lead but still managed to win on point criteria.
The Iranian scored six points in the first period against Kentchadze and then held off the Georgian’s desperate attacks after the interval to take the gold.
Game-changing victory
All the Iranian eyes were on the 97kg contests in Zagreb, where Kamran Qassempour, looking to add the Olympic glory to his double world 92kg golds, made a first appearance on the mat since the Freestyle World Cup in December 2022, in which he suffered a comprehensive defeat against Snyder in his sole 97kg outing prior to the Zagreb Open before a groin injury kept him out of last September’s World Championships as well as the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Qassempour had an easy job against opponents from China and Turkey to reach the semifinals on Thursday but was given a reality check by the four-time world and Olympic gold winner Snyder, suffering a 4-0 defeat.
Awaiting Snyder in the final showdown was the former world under-23 champion Aazarpira, in a repeat of last year’s showdown in Zagreb, which the American had won 3-0.
Snyder looked to be on his way to another victory over Azarpira when he scored an early takedown in the second period to take a three-point lead but the young Iranian had other ideas.
“I had already thought about the final,” Azarpira said after the final, adding: “I had practiced with the other guys [on the Iran team] for a long time to prepare for this competition. I had lost to Snyder last year in the final but this year, I was confident that I could defeat him.”
Azarpira reduced the deficit with a takedown and added a stepout, which Snyder challenged but lost.
With just over a minute remaining, the American came close to retaking the lead twice but saw his stepout attempts well defended by Azarpira, who sealed the victory with another late takedown.
“I was three points behind but I didn’t lose my focus because I had a plan,” Azarpira said.
“I knew that even if I was six points behind, I could win it. I came here with high confidence and knew I was going to win the gold.”
The massive triumph gave Azarpira a domestic edge over Qassempour in the quest for an Olympic quota, while it also came as a relief for the young wrestler after a forgettable World Championships.
Having been called up late to replace injured Qassempour in Belgrade, Azarpira struggled in the 92kg class and was knocked out by American Zahid Valencia to finish eighth.
“I’ve been wrestling at the 97kg class for three to four years and I fit in this weight,” he said.
“The Iranian technical staff decided that I had to participate at the 92kg contests at the world event but, given the weight loss that I had and the lack of preparation, I wasn’t at my best [in Belgrade].”
Azarpira will now have his sights set on April’s Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Bishkek, where another gold-winning campaign will all but punch his ticket for Paris.
“The 97kg class is arguably the toughest in the world and Olympic events but I have high hopes to succeed.”
Qassempour, meanwhile, left Zagreb with a consolation bronze – courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Turkey’s Erhan Yaylaci – but will face a daunting task in chasing his Olympic dream.
Elsewhere in Zagreb, Rahman Amouzad did well to bounce back from a below-par run in 2023 to reach the 65kg final with four technical fall victories – including a 12-4 triumph over Abbas Ebrahimzadeh in an all-Iranian semifinal – but had to pull out of the showpiece against Armenian Vazgen Tevanyan through injury and settled for silver.
Ebrahimzadeh bounced back from the last-four setback with a 10-0 win against Turkey’s Abdullah Toprak in the bronze medal bout.
In the 74kg event, Hossein Abouzari was the second best against American Jason M. Nolf, falling to a 10-1 loss in the final, while two-time world bronze medalist Younes Emami – beaten by Abouzari in the semis – was ruled out of the repechage bout due to an injury.