Iranian boxers make history in Asian Junior Championships
A milestone campaign at the ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships saw Iranian boys finish as the runner-up in Al Ain, UAE – a best-ever finish for the country in the history of the competitions.
The Iranian nine-man squad bagged double golds and silvers apiece as well as three bronze medals to finish behind boxing powerhouse Uzbekistan, which grabbed seven golds, five silvers, and a bronze.
Kazakhstan stood third with double gold and bronze medals apiece.
Iranian boy came out on top against Ukrainian Serhii Artemenko to win the 46kg crown, while Mohammad-Saleh Mesbahi defended his 70kg title thanks to a victory over Diyorbek Murodilloev in the final.
Meanwhile, Sahand Najafi (48kg) and Ashkan Hashemi (63kg) settled for a couple of silver medals after respective defeats against Uzbekistan’s Elyor Rustamov and Suhrob Rakhmatullaev in the final showdowns.
Mohammad Beiranvand (60kg), Amirmohammad Rostampour (66kg), and Mahan Sajedi (75kg) were the Iranian bronze medalists in the junior competitions.
The historic result for Iran came after the country scooped two golds and a bronze medal to finish third in the medals table of the schoolboys contests.
Matin Chamipa defeated Ukraine’s Bohdan Smoliak for the 49kg gold, with Farzan walking away with the ultimate prize of the 61kg event after a final victory over Kazakhstan’s Aliimran Aliyev.
Mahan Mohammadian finished his decent run in Al Ain with a bronze in the 52kg division as all other members of the Iranian squad across seven weight classes left the competitions empty-handed.
More than 460 boxers from 26 countries – including Ukraine, which recently joined the Asian Boxing Confederation – took part in the 11-day event in Al Ain.