Dorostkar retakes helm as Iran FS head coach
Pejman Dorostkar was reappointed as the head coach of the Iranian freestyle wrestling team on Saturday, replacing Mohsen Kaveh.
In his previous spell in charge, Dorostkar, 48, steered the country to the third place behind the Russian Wrestling Federation and Team USA at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, before successive runner-up finishes in the next two editions in Belgrade, though the Russians were absent in the 2022 event and then their results were deemed null and void in the team table the following year.
Iranian wrestlers collected a combined 18 world medals – including six golds – during Dorostkar’s 28-month stint.
Former coach Kaveh, who took over from Dorostkar last December, left the job by the end of his contract last week after his five-man squad had mixed results and performances at the recently-finished Olympic Games in Paris.
Iranians left the French capital with four medals, though a first freestyle gold since Hassan Yazdani’s triumph in Rio 2016 proved to be elusive for the country.
Yazdani’s quest for a second Olympic gold ended in vain following a 7-1 loss to Bulgaria’s Magomed Ramazanov in the 86kg final – during which the Iranian sensation struggled with a recurring shoulder injury from the get-go and had to call for treatment on several occasions.
Despite an emphatic run to the 65kg final, Rahman Amouzad also settled for a runner-up finish after a 10-3 defeat against Japanese newcomer Kotaro Kiyooka.
Reigning world champion Amirhossein Zare’, meanwhile, was the clear favorite to grab the superheavyweight gold in Paris but finished second to Georgian Geno Petriashvili, suffering a 10-9 loss in a thrilling 125kg final.
Young Iranian Amir-Ali Azarpira enjoyed a decent 97kg campaign as he recovered from a first-round defeat against Bahrain’s Akhmed Tazhudinov to beat American great Kyle Snyder for a joint bronze, while Younes Emami left the Games empty-handed following a fall defeat against Kyle Dake of the United States in the 74kg quarterfinals.