Iranian wrestlers ready to rumble in World Championships
Iranian Greco-Roman and freestyle squads will be looking to build on the country’s decent Olympic campaign when the Wrestling World Championships – featuring non-Olympic weight categories – get underway in Tirana, Albania, on October 28.
Represented by 11 wrestlers, Iran collected a total of eight medals, including two Greco-Roman golds, in the sporting extravaganza in Paris – the most won by any country across the two men’s competitions, although Japan secured more gold medals (4).
Pejman Dorostkar is back at the helm of the Iranian freestyle team for a second stint, having guided his men to a third-place finish in the 2021 World Championships, followed by 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 declared null and void in the team table last year.
Two-time world champion Kamran Qassempour will spearhead the freestyle four-man squad in the Albania capital, making his long-awaited return to the matte in the 92kg contests – the familiar territory for the 27-year-old, who stood behind Amir-Ali Azarpira in the pecking order for the Iranian 97kg slot in Paris.
Standing between Qassempour and a third world gold medal in four years will be two of the sport’s greatest in recent years in Russian sensation Abdulrashid Sadulaev and American David Taylor, who have won a remarkable 11 world and Olympic gold medals between them in the 97kg and 86kg weight classes.
Reza Mo’meni will be the Iranian wrestler in the 61kg class, with his previous international appearance coming in the 2022 FS World Cup, where he won a bout and lost two.
Amirmohammad Yazdani will be eager to grab a first world gold medal when taking part in the 70kg contests, having settled for two silvers in 2021 and 2023, while Mohammad Nokhodi, a winner of two world silvers and a bronze, will be among the favorites in the 79kg category.
Geraei eyeing glory
Mohammadreza Geraei is keen to make a flying start to the new chapter of his career in the Greco-Roman 72kg competitions.
The 28-year-old was once tipped to dominate the 67kg class for years following his back-to-back Olympic and world crowns in 2021, but his form diminished over the following two years, as he settled for the world silver in 2022 before laboring to the bronze in the 2023 edition.
He then missed the opportunity to defend his Olympic title after comprehensive defeats against Saied Esmaeili in the Iranian trials and when the young prodigy took the Games by storm to win the gold, Geraei, who had been clearly struggling with significant weight losses before each tournament, was persuaded to move up to the 72kg division.
Geraei’s older brother, Mohammad-Ali, will also have to gear up for a new challenge in the 82kg contests as he will be looking to improve on his world bronzes in the 71kg and 77kg categories.
A former world junior and under-23 champion, Iman Mohammadi will chase a first world medal in the seniors’ competitions in the 63kg event to add to his gold and bronze in the Asian Championships.
Pouya Dadmarz, meanwhile, will be after a second successive world medal in the 55kg class following his impressive bronze-winning campaign in Belgrade.