Iran finishes Greco-Roman runner-up in Vehbi Emre tourney
Iran collected nine medals, including double golds, to finish runner-up to the host at in the Greco-Roman event of the Yaşar Doğu, Vehbi Emre & Hamit Kaplan International Tournament in Antalya, Türkiye.
Arman Tahmasbi rounded out Iran’s medal hunt at the competition with a final victory in the 130kg weight class, adding to Amirreza Moradian’s gold in the 97kg category.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Ashiri (60kg), Mohammad Eskandari (67kg), and Ali-Asghr Samdaliri (77kg) finished with consolation bronze medals in their respective divisions.
The two-day Greco-Roman event served as the second phase of Iran’s selection process – following last month’s National Championships – for April’s Asian Championships, as well as the World Championships and Asian Games in September.
Earlier in the competition, Reza Bahmani defeated Ali Hajivand in an all-Iranian 63kg semifinal but ultimately settled for silver after a final loss to the host wrestler.
Mohammad Arjmand also suffered a final setback against his Turkish opponent to add a second silver to Iran’s medal count in the 82kg division.
Kianoosh Shamshiri and Mahdi Kamali shared the bronze medals in the 55kg category following consolation victories over Turkish wrestlers in the third-place contests.
Omid Bahmani and Kia Rostami – both participating in the 72kg class – as well as Mohammad-Hossein Ostad Mohammad (87kg) were the other members of the Iranian squad, finishing their campaigns empty-handed.
The Greco-Roman competition will be followed by the freestyle event, with 11 Iranian wrestlers competing across eight weight classes.