Teenage Esmali emerges as Iran’s new wrestling prodigy
Amirhossein Esmali has become the latest teenage wrestler to capture national attention after achieving a rare double success in both freestyle and Greco-Roman superheavyweight categories at the Iranian Cadet Championships within the span of seven days.
The 16-year-old from East Azerbaijan Province claimed silver in the Greco-Roman 110kg division earlier this month, falling 3-1 to Aliakbar Akou in the final. He responded in emphatic fashion in freestyle, securing the national title with a 6-1 victory over Pouyan Esmaeilzadeh last Friday.
The achievement has marked Esmali as one of Iran’s most promising young talents.
Such a feat is uncommon in Iranian wrestling, where athletes typically specialize in one discipline. Excelling at national level in both freestyle and Greco-Roman underscores Esmali’s versatility and technical maturity at a young age.
His rise comes amid a broader upswing in wrestling in East Azerbaijan, a province that has experienced notable progress over the past year. The emergence of new talents such as Esmali has fueled optimism about the region’s future contribution to Iran’s storied wrestling tradition.
Following his performances, Esmali has earned call-ups to the training camps of both the national under-17 freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. However, after clinching the freestyle national title – and with major continental and world championships on the horizon – he is expected to focus on freestyle as he pursues a place on Iran’s squad for the upcoming Asian and World Championships.