Wrestling U15 Asian Championships:
Iran pips Uzbekistan to Greco-Roman crown
A total of seven medals, including triple golds, saw the Iranian 10-man squad edge out Uzbekistan for the Greco-Roman trophy at the U15 Asian Champi0onships in Sriracha, Thailand.
Iranians also collected double silver and bronze medals apiece to stand atop the team table with 170 points, followed by Uzbekistan, which tallied 169 points – courtesy of three golds, one silver, and a couple of bronzes – with Kazakhstan in third on 154 points.
Amir Kazemi defeated Indian Dhanraj Jamnik 8-7 in a thrilling final showpiece to walk away with the ultimate prize of the 48kg contests, while Mahdi Gholamian came out victorious 5-2 against Uzbekistan’s Aziz Khasanov for the 62kg gold.
A third gold medal for the Iranians came in the 68kg event, where Esmaeil Nabavi outmuscled Alinur Toleugali of Kazakhstan 9-4 in the final.
Meanwhile, Abolfazl Zahiri had to settle for the runner-up spot in the 57kg contests after a 7-4 defeat against Tajikistan’s Amirjon Obidov, while Amirhossein Baktiarnejad finished behind Kazakh gold medalist Ali Bekengazy in the 85kg event, which was participated by five wrestlers in a round-robin format.
Elsewhere, Benyamin Rastgar and Amirhossein Alvani bagged consolation bronzes of the 44kg and 75kg classes respectively.
Mohammad Pour-Ebrahimi (38kg), Mohammad-Amin Azarpira (41kg) and Amir-Ali Majazi (52kg) were the three Iranians to leave Thailand empty-handed.
The Asian Championships continue with the freestyle under-15 competitions today before Iran puts double team titles on the line at the under-20 contests, starting Saturday.