Iran’s Farrokhi named Greco-Roman Breakout Performer of the Year
United World Wrestling named Iran’s Gholamreza Farrokhi the Greco-Roman Breakout Performer of the Year.
Farrokhi enjoyed an emphatic international season in 2025 by capturing four gold medals at major tournaments, including the top prize on his Senior World Championships debut in September.
“When opportunity knocked, Farrokhi wasn’t just there to answer it, he was there to kick the door off its hinges. The 23-year-old wrecking ball stepped into Iran’s senior lineup for the first time in his career and tore through anyone in front of him,” the UWW wrote on Instagram of the young sensation, who racked up a perfect 17-0 record, including 11 technical superiority wins, across his international appearances.
Farrokhi made his senior international breakthrough at February’s Ranking Series event in Zagreb, where he claimed three commanding victories before defeating 2024 world silver medalist Erik Szilvássy of Hungary, 6-2, in the 82kg final.
The Iranian picked up where he had left off on his return to the Croatian capital in September, accumulating a total of 37 points across four bouts while conceding only one en route to the world title.
Moving up to the 87kg category for the U23 Worlds in October, Farrokhi was in a league of his own in Novi Sad, Serbia, sweeping aside all five of his opponents by technical superiority – including Ukraine’s Ivan Chmyr in the final – to claim the ultimate prize.
The Iranian capped off the season with yet another gold-winning campaign at the Islamic Solidarity Games in November, defeating Kazakhstan’s Islam Yevloyev, 6–0, in the final.
Farrokhi could receive further recognition from the sport’s international governing body, as he has been named to the five-man shortlist for the Most Dominant Wrestler of 2025. He faces stiff competition from fellow Iranian world champions Saeid Esmaeili and Mohammad-Hadi Saravi, as well as Armenia’s Malkhas Amoyan and Uzbekistan’s Aytjan Khalmakhanov.
His prize was the latest testament to a memorable international season for Iran, which was named Top Greco-Roman Team of 2025 after completing a clean sweep of four world team titles across every age group.
A prolific 12 months saw Iranian Greco-Roman wrestlers medal in 29 of the 40 possible weight categories, collecting 10 golds, six silvers, and 13 bronzes.
The pinnacle of Iran’s run came at the Senior Worlds, where a remarkable haul of four gold medals, along with two silvers and two bronzes, led the country to only its second team title – and first since 2014 – in the history of the competition.