Moharrami aware of ‘high expectations’, eyes wushu glory in Riyadh
Iran’s Erfan Moharrami says he is fully aware of the high expectations surrounding him after his impressive gold medal at the World Wushu Championships, but has set his sights on repeating the feat at the upcoming Islamic Solidarity Games.
The sixth edition of the multi-sport event will get underway on November 7 in Riyadh.
Moharrami defeated Kazakhstan’s Alizhan Ablagatov to claim the ultimate prize in the men’s sanda 70kg event in August’s World Championships in Brasília.
“After winning the world gold in Brazil, expectations have gone up, and that makes my job as world champion even tougher heading into the Islamic Solidarity Games. I’m still fully prepared and have no fear of the competition,” Moharrami told Mehr News Agency.
“It won’t be easy in Riyadh as everyone will be out to beat the world champion, but I’m confident I can return home with another gold medal,” added the Iranian.
“My Kazakhstani opponent in the world final will probably be competing in Riyadh as well. Together with the coaching staff, we’ve analyzed all our potential rivals.”