Cadet & Junior Asian Judo Cup:
Iran’s Banaeian wins men’s +90kg gold
Iran’s Pouria Banaeian finished his campaign at the Cadet & Junior Asian Judo Cup on a high note, grabbing the gold medal in the men’s cadet +90kg contests in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Iranian prodigy was given a bye in the first round and then defeated Yersultan Kalmyrza in emphatic fashion to progress to the quarterfinals.
Banaeian continued his impressive run with an ippon victory over Belarusian Ivan Zaikin, who participated as a neutral athlete, before beating Yerassyl Satinbek by golden score in a thrilling semifinal.
The Iranian finished off the job with a victory over Alibek Durdiev in the final showdown.
“The level of competition was extremely high, and I faced some tough, strong opponents,” said Banaeian, who was “proud to dedicate this medal to the beloved people of Iran.”
The Iranian said he would hope to build on the glory to “succeed at the Asian Games and the Olympics” in the near future.