U17 World Wrestling Championships:
Iranian boys eyeing age-group glory in Athens
Iran will set its sights on yet another glittering campaign in age-group wrestling as the U17 World Championships get underway today in Athens.
The Greek capital will host some 700 wrestlers, who will vie for success across the Greco-Roman, women’s wrestling, and freestyle contests until Saturday.
The Iranian Greco-Roman squad will face competition from fellow-Asian countries and Azerbaijan as it chases a fourth successive team title, while the freestyle team aims to reclaim the trophy after finishing runner-up to the United States last year in Amman, Jordan.
Amirsam Mohammadi (92kg) and Yazdan Delrouz (110kg) will be the wrestlers to watch in the Iranian Greco-Roman team, though both will have to lock horns with some tough opponents in Athen.
Joining Mohammadi in the 92kg class are European champion Vadim Dragushan, and Asian gold medalist Fakhrikamol Komiljonov from Uzbekistan, who won the world bronze last year, as well as Kazakhstan’s Adilet Toishy and Ukrainian Tymur Larin, who will enter the event as the Asian and European silver medalists, respectively. Greece, meanwhile, will bank on European bronze medalist Ioannis Moutousidis to win a 92kg medal on home soil.
Iran has been denied the 110kg gold since 2019 and hopes that Delrouz will end the drought.
The heavyweight category also features European champion Rihad Ibrahimli from Azerbaijan and silver medalist Denis Lazarov from Bulgaria. Asian champion Hardeep of India and Turkish Emrullah Capkan will also be among the favorites.
Benyamin Khezli (45kg), Amirmohammad Hajivand (48kg), Amirmahdi Hajivand (51kg), Amirreza Tahmasbpour (55kg), Abolfazl Zare’ (60kg), Abolfazl Shiri (65kg), Mohammad Kazemi (71kg), and Taha Nouri (80kg) complete the Iranian 10-man squad in the Greco-Roman event, which kicks off the U17 Worlds today.
In the freestyle contests, Iran – having won only a couple of golds last year – will hope to see Amirali Alizadeh (92kg), Arian Mehralizadeh (60kg), Amirhossein Naqdalipour (110kg), and Morteza Mollamohammadi (65kg) deliver strong performances to improve the country’s medal haul.
Iran, which missed June’s Asian U17 Championships in Vietnam, has wrestlers with previous success at Asian level and in ISF Gymnasiade.
Parsa Tahmasbi (45kg), Sina Boustani (48kg), Sina Ordou (51kg), Mohammadreza Barari (55kg), Arsham Vahabian (71kg), and Parsa Karami (80kg) are the other members of the Iranian freestyle team, which has former world champion Abbas Hajkenari as the head coach.