Iranian Wrestling Federation unveils selection path for UWW Worlds
Seven freestyle spots remain up for grabs in the coming months as Iranian wrestlers will be looking to book a place in the national team for mid-September’s World Championships in Zagreb.
This week, the Iranian Wrestling Federation unveiled the new pathway for the freestyle team trials, starting with the annual Takhti Cup on May 8-9 in Isfahan.
The national governing body also confirmed that Ahmad Mohammadnejad-Javan, Rahman Amouzad, and Amirhossein Firouzpour have already been secured a spot at the UWW Worlds.
Mohammadnejad-Javan will be the Iranian 61kg wrestler in the Croatian capital, thanks to a gold-winning run in February’s Zagreb Open and an Asian bronze in Amman, Jordan, in March.
Amouzad, an Olympic silver medalist last year, has been given a shot at a second world 65kg gold after domestic rivals Yassin Rezaei and Ali Khorramdel had below-par runs at the Ranking Series season-opener in the Croatian capital.
Meanwhile, Firouzpour’s impressive run of results in recent months, which has seen him win the Asian and Zagreb Open titles, convinced the Iranian coaching staff to pick him for the world 92kg contests.
Should Ali Mo’meni – a gold medalist in Zagreb – win the 57kg title in Isfahan, he will secure the Iranian berth; otherwise, he will have to face the Takhti Cup champion for a place at the world event.
Former world under-20 champion Mohammadreza Shakeri and Asian bronze medalist Sina Khalili are the frontrunners in the 70kg class, but will still have to win the Takhti Cup gold to punch the ticket for Zagreb.
Younes Emami will also have to walk away with the ultimate prize in Isfahan to seal the world spot, or a showdown between him and the Takhti Cup gold medalist will decide the Iranian 74kg slot for the visit to Zagreb.
Fresh off an Asian title, Mahdi Yousefi will be chasing the 79kg gold in Isfahan to set up a best-of-three showdown with reigning world bronze winner Mohammad Nokhodi, who will need a single victory to head to Zagreb.
Two-time world 92kg champion Kamran Qassempour will begin his bid for a place at the Los Angeles Games with participation at the 86kg Olympic class in Isfahan, where a top-podium finish will be enough to send him to the World Championships.
The 97kg gold medalist at the Takhti Cup will face a tough job to secure a world spot as he will have to succeed in a Ranking Series event in May or July to get a head-to-head with Amir-Ali Azarpira, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since winning an Olympic bronze last summer, for a place in Zagreb.
All eyes will be on the 125kg contests at the Takhti Cup, where two of the world’s best superheavyweights in Amirhossein Zare’ and Amirreza Ma’soumi are likely to lock horns in a highly-anticipated final.
A gold medal in Isfahan will guarantee a world spot for Zare’, who is desperate to make up for his Olympic final loss with a third world gold in four years.
The path to the World Championships, however, will be tougher for Ma’soumi – a six-time world champion across different age groups since 2021, who also marched to the Asian senior gold in Amman.
The wrestling prodigy must first win the Tahkti Cup gold and then square off against Zare’ in a domestic head-to-head or an international tournament to clinch a spot in the Iranian squad.