Qassempour given second chance for spot at UWW Worlds
Freestyle wrestler Kamran Qassempour will still fancy his chances of securing a spot in September’s World Championships in Zagreb, despite missing the first phase of the Iranian trials in last week’s International Takhti Cup in Isfahan.
A top-podium finish in Isfahan would have sealed the Iranian 86kg slot for Qassempour, but a positive COVID-19 test on the eve of the competition jeopardized his bid for a third world gold medal.
However, the Iranian Wrestling Federation justified Qassempour’s absence and announced this week that he could still punch his ticket for the Croatian capital with a head-to-head victory over Abolfazl Rahmani on May 27 in Tehran.
Rahmani defeated fellow-Iranian Amirhossein Kavousi 7-1 to walk away with the ultimate prize of the 86kg contests in Isfahan.
The 70kg, 74kg, 79kg, and 97kg spots also remain up for grabs, which will be decided through the Iranians’ results at the next UWW Ranking Series event – starting May 29 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Reigning world champion and Olympic silver medalist Amirhossein Zare’ (125kg) and Ali Mo’meni (57kg) won the gold medal in their respective events at the Takhti Cup to seal a spot in the Iranian freestyle team.
Joining the duo in the 10-man squad are Ahmad Mohammadnejad-Javan, Rahman Amouzad, and Amirhossein Firouzpour.
Mohammadnejad-Javan will be the Iranian 61kg wrestler at the world event, thanks to a gold-winning run at the Zagreb Open, as well as an Asian bronze 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 February.
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.