Prodigy vs. Veteran: Iran’s 86kg world spot on the line in Tehran showdown
The Iranian freestyle 86kg slot for September’s Wrestling World Championships will be up for grabs today, as international superstar Kamran Qassempour and teenage prodigy Abolfazl Rahmani lock horns in a head-to-head showdown in Tehran.
For two-time world 92kg champion Qassempour, today’s bout marks the beginning of a long road toward the Los Angeles Olympics in three years, while Rahmani aims to build on his Asian title-winning campaign in March to secure his debut at the UWW Worlds in Zagreb.
Qassempour, who missed out on a 97kg slot for the Paris Games last year, finishing behind Amir-Ali Azarpira in the pecking order, has again switched weight class in a bid to add the Olympic glory to his illustrious medal haul.
A top-spot finish at the International Takhti Cup in May, which also served as part of the Iranian world trials, would have secured the 86kg spot for Qassempour, but a COVID-19 infection on the eve of the competition derailed his quest for a third world gold medal.
However, Iranian Wrestling Federation justified his absence, granting him a second chance to fight for his ticket to Zagreb.
A world U20 bronze medalist last year, Rahmani made the most of Qassempour’s absence by cruising to the 86kg gold in Isfahan to emerge as a contender for a place in the Croatian capital.
Ulaanbaatar deciders
Meanwhile, Iranian head coach Pejman Dorostkar hopes the debate over four remaining weight classes is settled when his squad competes at the Ulaanbaatar Open – starting Thursday in the Mongolian capital.
Mohammad-Ali Amouzad and Ali-Akbar Fazli will be the Iranian 70kg contestants at the third UWW Ranking Series event of the season, where the wrestler with a better result will stay in the mix for the world spot alongside Asian bronze medalists Sina Khalili and Abbas Ebrahimzadeh, who have been ruled out of action with injuries.
Two-time world silver medalist Amir-Mohammad Yazdani and Younes Emami – a winner of two world bronzes, who fell to Yazdani in the Takhti Cup final – will be joined by former Asian bronze winner Hossein Abouzari in the 74kg contests, and the national team coaching staff will evaluate their results and performances to decide on the Iranian representative in Zagreb.
Takhti Cup champion Fariborz Babaei will compete in the 79kg event and a gold medal will keep him in contention for the world spot along with Asian champion Mahdi Yousefi – beaten by Babaei in Isfahan – and 2024 world bronze winner Mohammad Nokhodi, who was back in training last week following a knee surgery following last October.
Ahmad Bazri, who won the 97kg gold at the Takhti Cup, will hope to repeat the success in the Mongolian capital to earn a shot at the Zagreb ticket against Amir-Ali Azarpira.
Olympic bronze medalist Azarpira had also been sidelined for months with a torn ligament injury before making his long-awaited return to training last week.
Five freestyle wrestlers have already booked their places in the Iranian 10-man squad for September’s world event.
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 secure the world spot.
Joining the duo are Ahmad Mohammadnejad-Javan, Rahman Amouzad, and Amirhossein Firouzpour.
Mohammadnejad-Javan will be the Iranian 61kg wrestler, thanks to a gold-winning run at February’s 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 the Croatian capital.
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.