Wrestling World Championships:
Iran grabs triple Greco-Roman medals, claims historic double
Iran claimed a first men’s team title double at the Wrestling World Championships after bagging three Greco-Roman medals, including double golds, on Day 7 of the competition in Zagreb, Croatia.
Gholamreza Farrokhi stole the show in the 82kg event by walking away with the ultimate prize on his debut at the Wrestling Worlds, while Olympic bronze medalist Amin Mirzazadeh retained his 130kg title.
Meanwhile, teenage sensation Payam Ahmadi had to settle for silver after a 9-7 setback against Georgia’s Vakhtang Lolua in the 55kg showdown.
A world under-20 champion in August, Ahmadi, who was only named in the Iranian squad a week before the event, will still have every reason to be proud of his campaign in the Croatian capital after delivering a series of brave performance, including a last-four victory over Azerbaijan’s four-time world champion Eldaniz Azizli, on his way to the final showpiece.
Later on Friday, Farrokhi, who won the Zagreb Open Ranking Series gold in February at the same arena, showed no nerves in blanking Gela Bolkvadze in a second final featuring Iranian and Georgian wrestlers.
Farrokhi went straight to work in the final and was awarded with the first par terre position, from which he scored two points from a correct throw to lead 3-0. A stepout just before the break extended the lead to 4-0.
There were no points or positions in the second period, and Farrokhi was happy to defend the four-point lead and claim the gold medal.
“Winning a medal in my very first World Championships felt like a dream,” Farokhi said. “I had always thought about it and even dreamed of this belt. I was able to put on my best performances and win the gold medal.”
Farrokhi, who had to beat world champion Mohammadali Geraei to make the Iran team, gave up only a single point in five matches at the tournament while scoring 37.
“I managed to win all my matches while giving up only one point,” he said. “Geraei is not only one of Iran’s greatest champions, but also a close friend of mine. In the qualifiers I was able to beat him. As for the future, it depends on the coaches’ decisions, but for now I’ll stay at 82kg.”
Mirzazadeh, meanwhile, continued his dominance in the superheavyweight class, surviving an early scare to beat Dárius Vitek of Hungary in the final.
A gasp went through Arena Zagreb when Vitek scored a takedown after Mirzazadeh lost his balance after a throw and he quickly gained control. But Mirzazadeh reversed the positions and got one point to make it 2-1.
Mirzazadeh then added two stepouts in the first period to take the lead and go into the break leading 3-2. There were no more surprises in the match as Mirzazadeh scored a takedown soon after the whistle in the second period. Two turns were enough to give him a 7-2 lead which he defended to win the gold medal.
“Winning this gold and standing on top of the world’s heavyweight podium makes me really proud,” Mirzazadeh said. “I just hope my people are happy, too, because their joy is my joy.”
Mirzazadeh brushed aside the opening takedown that Vitek scored on him, saying, “I think that’s the nature of wrestling and these things happen. I’m glad I was able to wrestle well and come out on top.”
With his second world gold medal, Mirzazadeh has clearly set himself apart from the field at 130kg. The real challenge can come domestically from multiple age-group world champion Fardin Hedayati, but Mirzazadeh is determined to rule the weight class for a long time.
“I’ll keep giving it my all to improve every year, to raise my level, and to represent my country again and again,” he said. “My goal is to bring home world and Olympic gold medals and make my people proud.”
Elsewhere, world U20 champion Alireza Abdevali, also a debutant at the Senior World Championships, was unlucky to miss out on the podium in the 77kg class after suffering a 6-3 loss to Turkey’s Ahmet Yılmaz in the bronze-medal contest.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Paris Olympic champion Mohammad-Hadi Saravi safely negotiated the minefield that was the draw of the stacked 97kg division, advancing to the final to earn a shot at capturing a second world title.
Saravi defeated Kiryl Maskevich of Belarus, who competed as a neutral athlete, 3-1 in the semifinals.