Zagreb Open Ranking Series:
Oskou dominates 77kg class to remain on course for major events
Iranian wrestler Ali Oskou capped his 77kg campaign at the Zagreb Open with an emphatic gold medal, taking Iran’s tally to three in the Greco-Roman competitions at the Ranking Series season opener.
A world under-23 bronze medallist last October, Oskou defeated Hungary’s Zoltan Levai by technical superiority (9-1) in Saturday’s final at Arena Zagreb.
The Iranian began his run with a commanding 7-0 victory over American Kamal Bey before dispatching Egypt’s Yehia Abdelkader 10-0 to reach the quarterfinals.
A 5-2 win against Hungary’s Robert Fritch sent Oskou into the semifinals, where he again overpowered Georgia’s Temuri Orjonikdze by superiority (10-1).
With the tournament also serving as the second phase of Iran’s team selection process, Oskou – who claimed gold at the national championships last December – will hope his dominant showing in the Croatian capital convinces head coach Hassan Rangraz to hand him a place at either the Asian or World Championships later this year.
In contrast, Amirmahdi Saeidi Nava endured a disappointing outing in the 77kg class, suffering a first-round 7-2 defeat to home favorite Antonio Kamenjasevic.
Ahoura Bouveiri also exited early in the category, losing 3-1 to Bulgaria’s Stoyan Kubatov in the qualification round.
Erfan Jarkani had opened Iran’s Greco-Roman account in Zagreb with gold in the 63kg division on Friday, following an 8-4 victory over India’s Chetan Chetan in the final.
The triumph saw Jarkani – a world junior and under-23 bronze medalist in 2024 – secure his place in Iran’s squad for April’s Asian Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Meanwhile, former world champion Meisam Dalkhani settled for bronze in the 63kg class, rebounding from a 14-5 semifinal loss to Chetan by defeating Kazakhstan’s Dastan Zarlykhanov by technical superiority (8-0) in the third-place bout.