Wrestling World Championships:
Mixed draws as Iranians learn freestyle fate
Iranian wrestlers will face a mix of fortunes when getting their freestyle campaigns underway at the Seniors World Championships – featuring non-Olympic weight categories – in Tirana, Albania, today.
Kamran Qassempour, who stood behind Amir-Ali Azarpira in the pecking order for the Iranian 97kg slot at the Paris Olympics, will be looking to notch up a third world gold medal on return to his familiar territory of the 92kg class, starting with a bout against low-profile Japanese Takashi Ishiguro.
A victory will see the Iranian take on Turkey’s Feyzullah Aktürk – a three-time European champion and world bronze medalist last year – in the round of 16.
However, all eyes at will be on the first-round battle between two of the sport’s sensations in recent years in Russian 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.
Qassempour, Sadulaev, and Taylor are in the same half of the draw, meaning wrestling fans could anticipate a last-four thriller featuring the Iranian and one of the two greats.
Elsewhere in the Feti Borova Sports Hall, Mohammad Nokhodi, chasing a fourth successive world medal, will go head-to-head with Austrian Alans Amirovs in the 79kg event, with the winner facing Hungary’s Murad Kuramagomedov or Chinese Cao Nan in the last 16.
Legendary American Jordan Burroughs will begin his quest for a seventh world gold against Russian-born Zelimkhan Khadjiev of France or Romanian Zurab Kapraev.
Beaten by Burroughs in his previous two final appearances in 2021 and 2022, Nokhodi will have to raise his level against the American if he wants to progress to the semifinals as the two are likely to cross paths in the last-eight round.
A world under-17 champion last year, Sina Khalili was only given the Iranian 70kg berth last week – after Amirmohammad Yazdani failed to fully recover from a broken hand – and the teenage prodigy will be eager to make the most of the opportunity in his senior debut.
Khalili will meet Belarusian Niurgun Skriabin, who participates as a neutral athlete, with the winner facing former world bronze winner Alibek Osmonov of Kyrgyzstan in the last 16.
Reza Mo’meni is the Iranian wrestler in the 61kg contests, starting his campaign against Besir Alili of North Macedonia.
Should Mo’meni overcome the North Macedonian, he will have to square off against the host’s Endrio Avdyli or Swiss wrestler Nino Leutert in the round of 16.