Dorostkar proud of wrestling team’s medal tally
Pejman Dorostkar, head coach of Iran’s national freestyle wrestling team, spoke about his team’s performance after three challenging tournaments, the most recent being the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.
He highlighted the difficulties faced due to the intense 2025 World Wrestling Championships, which left wrestlers fatigued, and the short interval between the two events created challenges in training intensity and weight management, according to varzesh3.com.
“The Islamic Solidarity Games were a competitive event in which the Iranian wrestling team participated with full force to support the country’s sports delegation. Our main goal was to improve Iran’s ranking in the overall team standings.”
Dorostkar emphasized that the competition was held at a very high level. He said, “Given that these Games were also important for other countries, they came with their full strength. Almost all the world and Olympic titleholders from the Islamic countries participated in this event, which made the competition even fiercer and more challenging than usual.”
He noted that wrestling, a premier and national sport in Iran, delivered with 12 medals in 12 weight categories, including 8 gold medals, helping Iran secure the third place in the overall team standings.
The coach praised standout performances by Younes Emami, who made a strong comeback, Rahman Amouzad and Amirhossein Zare’, who continued their winning streaks by defeating notable champions. Amirali Azarpira also showed his true potential beyond the medals he has won over two years, while Ali Momeni earned a bronze medal.
Regarding Kamran Qasempour, Dorostkar explained that athletes’ physical conditions vary due to age and genetics. Qasempour had to cut weight twice in a short period, which made him somewhat vulnerable despite not losing excessive weight. He also experienced a previous lymph node issue initially suspected to be brucellosis but later diagnosed as a dental problem requiring surgery. Though he suffered a shoulder injury during a wrestling exchange, Dorostkar is confident that Qasempour will recover fully and return to the mats with strength.