Asian U20 Wrestling Championships:
Iranians snatch double golds on Day 1 of freestyle event
The first day of the freestyle contests at the Asian U20 Wrestling Championships saw Iranians collect four medals, including double golds, across five weight classes in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Ebrahim Elahi outmuscled the host’s Zalkarbek Tabaldiev by technical superiority (10-0) in the semifinals before defeating Ariya Yoshida of Japan 8-3 for the ultimate prize of the 70kg division.
Erfan Alizadeh doubled Iran’s gold tally later on Saturday, enjoying an emphatic run in the 97kg contests.
The Iranian hammered Uzbekistan’s Mukhammadjon Ismoiljonov (11-0) and Indian Vishal (11-1) for a place in the final showpiece and then rounded off his campaign with a 5-0 victory over Kamil Kurugliyev of Kazakhstan.
Elsewhere, Abolfazl Shamsipour had to settle for a silver medal after a 5-4 loss to Amit of India in the 79kg final, while Arshia Haddadi bounced back from a last-four defeat against Kazakhstan’s Nurdanat Aitanov to beat Kabe Matjanov of Turkmenistan 11-0 for a consolation bronze in the 57kg class.
Sajjad Pirdayeh, meanwhile, finished his 65kg campaign empty-handed following a second-round setback (2-0) against the host’s Omurbek Asan Uulu.
The freestyle competitions came after the Iranian Greco-Roman squad bagged a remarkable four golds and five bronzes in 10 classes to win the team title in the Kyrgyz capital with 185 points – followed by Kyrgyzstan (166pts) and Uzbekistan (151pts).
Payam Ahmadi (55kg), Ahoura Bouveiri (77kg), Mohammad-Hadi Seydi (97kg), and Abolfazl Fat’hi (130kg) were the Iranian gold medalists, with Seyyed Iman Hosseini (60kg), Mohammad-Javad Talebi (63kg), Gholamreza Abdevali (67kg), Amir-Mahdi Saeidinava (72kg) and Hamdireza Keshtkar (87kg) adding five bronzes to the medal haul.