Iranian wrestler Rezaei aiming high after dominating National Ch’ships
Yassin Rezaei will be keen to build on an emphatic run at the Freestyle Wrestling National Championships in pursuing a place in the Iranian squad in September’s World Championships in Zagreb.
An Asian 61kg bronze medalist in 2023, Rezaei stole the show in a higher weight class at the domestic event in Gorgan, which served as the opening phase of the Iranian trials for the UWW Worlds.
Rezaei began his 65kg campaign on Wednesday in style, making a quick work of Fardin Heidari by technical superiority in 58 seconds, before hammering Omran Hosseini 10-0 to march into the quarterfinals.
Dominant triumphs over Amirhossein Sabzali (14-2) and Amirreza Taymourizad (14-3) sent Rezaei into the final showdown, where he eased to a 13-1 victory over Dariush Hazratqolizadeh in the first period to walk away with the ultimate prize.
“I was truly pleased with my performance in the competitions as I won all of my five bouts by technical superiority,” Rezaei told the official website of the Iranian Wrestling Federation.
The Iranian was full of praise for his coach, Ali Khodaei, as well as his father, who “helped me out with learning different techniques when I was a kid.”
“All the years of watching videos and reviewing techniques helped me take advantage of different wrestling moves, especially throwing ones, in the national championships,” added the Iranian.
“The competition gave me the opportunity to introduce myself as a top 65kg contender in the country and I will be looking to go all the way in the selection process to win the Iranian spot for the world event.”
Rezaei will still face stern competition to secure the national team spot, as former world champion and Olympic silver medalist Rahman Amouzad remains the favorite to represent the country in the Croatian capital.
“My ultimate goal is to win the world and Olympic gold medals and I am ready to battle any wrestler to achieve that,” Rezaei insisted.