Riyadh 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games:
Esmaeili’s last-gasp fightback propels Iran to double Greco-Roman golds
Saeid Esmaeili and Gholamreza Farrokhi gave Iran a strong start in wrestling at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, capturing gold in their respective Greco-Roman classes on Tuesday.
Their final victories propelled Iran to 19 gold medals at the multi-sport event, though the country was still dealt a major blow in the two-horse race for the runner-up spot in the overall standings, as second-placed Uzbekistan enjoyed success in athletics and wrestling to open a six-gold lead with three days of action remaining.
Amir Abdi and Ali Ahmadi-Vafa were also among Iran’s wrestling medalists on Tuesday, claiming silver and bronze respectively, while Mohammadreza Tayyebi settled for silver in the men’s shot put in athletics.
Esmaeili remains unbeaten
Esmaeili came within two seconds of suffering only the second defeat of his senior international career – and his first since June 2024 – but the 22-year-old sensation produced a trademark four-pointer to defeat Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov 8-3 in a thrilling 67kg showdown.
The two familiar foes met in the final at September’s World Championships, with Esmaeili needing a flawless defense to secure a 3-1 victory.
On Tuesday, however, Jafarov looked to be on his way to upsetting the reigning world and Olympic champion when he took a three-point lead by the end of the first period.
Esmaeili erased the deficit after the break, though still down on criteria, and all seemed to be over for the Iranian as the clock ticked down, before he worked on a double-arm lock and then managed to throw Jafarov in danger from standing for four points.
Azerbaijan challenged the call, but there was no change in the result as Esmaeili emerged victorious to capture his third major gold of the calendar year after Asian and world titles.
“We went straight into a training camp after the World Championships to prepare for the Games. The level of competition here was truly world-class, with the top five from the world event all participating, and I had to face world 63kg champion [Aytjan Khalmakhanov of Uzbekistan] in the semifinals,” Esmaeili said after his sensational victory.
“I was in much better form when I faced Jafarov last time, as I came into this tournament still carrying some fatigue from that World Championships,” added the Iranian.
When asked about the high expectations for him to repeat his Olympic gold in L.A. 2028, Esmaeili said: “There are still about two years and eight months until the Olympics, and I will work hard to retain my title in the Los Angeles Games and bring joy to all of my fellow Iranians.”
Later in the day, world 82kg champion Farrokhi made it seem a little easier as he defeated former world U20 champion Islam Yevloyev of Kazakhstan 6-0 to cap off a glorious two months in his career.
Farrokhi, who moved to 87kg for the U23 World Championships, won gold in Novi Sad without conceding a single point.
The Iranian still had a tough job securing a place in the final showpiece in Riyadh, as he needed a takedown in the final minute to edge world bronze medalist Asan Zhanyshov of Kyrgyzstan 7-6 in the semifinals.
In the 77kg event, Abdi enjoyed an emphatic run to the final, defeating the two-time reigning world 72kg champion from Azerbaijan (9-0) and Uzbekistan’s Abdullo Aliev – a world bronze medalist in September – 6-0 in the process.
In the final, however, the Iranian was second best against two-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion Akzhol Makhmudov of Kyrgyzstan, who, trailing 1-0, performed a reverse-lift throw for five points before securing the fall in the second period.
Ahmadi-Vafa – a world junior and U23 gold medalist last year – bounced back from a technical-superiority loss to world silver medalist Alisher Ganiev in the semifinals to beat Azerbaijan’s 2024 world champion Nihat Mammadli 3-2 for a consolation bronze in the 60kg division.