Yazdani, Azarpira rivalry set to heat up Iran’s Wrestling Worlds trials
Iranian wrestling fans may well be treated to a compellingdomestic rivalry featuring Hassan Yazdani and Amirali Azarpira once the selection process for next year’s World Championships gets underway in the coming months.
Freestyle sensation Yazdani – a winner of a national-record 10 world and Olympic medals – made a statement return to action during the final day of the Iranian Wrestling Premier League on Friday, having been sidelined for 489 days after undergoing surgery on his injured shoulder, which cost him the 86kg final at last year’s Paris Olympics.
Moving up to the 97kg class in a bid to win an elusive second Olympic gold at Los Angeles 2028, Yazdani began the day with a superiority win (10-0) over former U20 world champion Abolfazl Babloo during his team’s 7-3 semifinal victory over Khaybar in the morning session.
Yazdani then defeated 2021 world bronze medalist Mojtaba Goleij 4-0 in the penultimate bout of the final, though his Esteghlal Juybar team ultimately fell short against Bank Shahr.
“Yazdani delivered a new version of himself,” former Olympic bronze medalist Morad Mohammadi said of his compatriot, adding: “He has been an exception in Iranian wrestling and is capable of adapting to different circumstances.
“His performance truly surprised all wrestling experts. Honestly speaking, I thought he would struggle in a new weight class after being out of action for such a long time, but he proved to be the same old Hassan Yazdani we all knew.”
At 30, Yazdani appeared to be back to his familiar ruthless form, but before thinking of chasing his fourth world title in a star-studded 97kg event – likely to feature Russian great Abdulrashid Sadulaev, reigning American world champion Kyle Snyder, and Olympic gold medalist Akhmed Tazhudinov – in Manama next October, the Iranian will have to see off a domestic threat posed by 23-year-old Azarpira.
It has been less than two years since the young Iranian made his senior international breakthrough at the 2024 Ranking Series event in Zagreb, where he defeated Snyder in the final.
The two-time U23 world champion marked his Olympic debut with a precious bronze medal in Paris, thanks to another victory over Snyder in the third-place bout, and then built on that success by winning a silver medal at September’s World Championships in Zagreb.
The pinnacle of Azarpira’s campaign in the Croatian capital came in the semifinals, where he defeated Tazhudinov 5-2, making up for his first-round setback against the Bahraini wrestler in Paris.
Azarpira was unlucky to miss out on the top podium after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Snyder, but captured his maiden senior gold in Riyadh a month later, defeating Kazakhstan’s Rizabek Aitmukhan – a world champion at 92kg in 2023 – 5-0 in the final at the Islamic Solidarity Games.
With both Yazdani and Azarpira fancying their chances of winning the ultimate prize in Manama, a thrilling rivalry appears to be on the cards between the two top-tier wrestlers.
“Azarpira has shown excellent progress in recent years, winning world and Olympic medals. A potential matchup between Yazdani and Azarpira would definitely be a thrilling one. I believe the winner of that battle would be the top contender for gold at the World Championships,” said Mohammadi, who tipped Yazdani to build on “his vast experience” to prevail over his younger compatriot.
The two have been exempted from participating in next week’s National Championships – which will serve as the opening phase of Iran’s World Championships trials – meaning fans will have to wait until the start of the international season to see the two world-class wrestlers go head-to-head.