U17 Wrestling World Championships:
Iran out to dethrone US, fend off Russia to reclaim freestyle title
Iran will be among the traditional favorites, alongside the United States and Russia, for the team title when the freestyle competition at the U17 Wrestling World Championships gets underway in Baku on Thursday.
Having had to settle for runner-up finishes behind Team USA over the past two years, the Iranian squad will face an even more daunting task in its bid to claim a first team crown since 2023. Unlike the previous four editions, wrestling powerhouse Russia will be eligible for team points at this year’s championships, while Japan, host Azerbaijan and India could also emerge as serious contenders.
However, head coach Sadeq Goudarzi’s team will look to build on a successful Asian Championships campaign in May, where it collected eight medals – including four golds – across 10 weight classes to beat Japan and India to the freestyle title in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Mahdi Damercheli – one of the four Iranian gold medalists in Da Nang – will represent the country in the 45kg class, with U17 Pan-American champion Rylen Wax of the United States, Russia’s national champion Aldar Badmaev and reigning U17 European champion Marko Kvasniuk of Ukraine also among the favorites.
Amirali Ragheb will be eager to improve on his Asian silver medal in the 48kg division, though Uzbekistan’s Farrukh Makhmudov, who defeated the Iranian in May’s final, will again be in the field, along with host wrestler Huseyn Rzazade, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Boiko – the U17 European silver medalist – and Russia’s Kirill Kondrashov, last year’s European U15 champion.
Asian champion Benyamin Ashofteh will be among the leading contenders in the 51kg class, which also features Asian silver medalist Masamune Ushimado of Japan, American Evan Restivo and Russia’s Islam Kurakhmaev, a rising prospect from Dagestan.
Arman Elahi will enter the 55kg competition as the Asian champion, looking to fend off challenges from Japan’s Kyosuke Ikeda and Kazakhstan’s Temirlan Murat, who finished behind the Iranian in Da Nang. American Chase Karenbauer and Russia’s Mustafa Bersanukaev will also be in the mix, alongside Georgia’s European bronze medalist Temuri Tutarashvili and Uzbekistan’s Jakhongir Tulkunov, who gave Elahi his toughest bout in Vietnam.
Mohammad-Taha Ganjeh, a bronze medalist at the U17 Asian Championships, will represent Iran in the 60kg category, where India’s Sitender will compete as the defending world champion. The field also includes U17 European champion Sergei Karmrian of Russia, runner-up Mykyta Kuzmenko of Ukraine and Asian champion Bekzodbek Ibrohimov of Uzbekistan.
In the 65kg division, Iran will be represented by unheralded Sam Arshad, who faces a stiff challenge from American Arseni Kikiniou, who made history by winning medals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman last year, Puerto Rico’s Jovani Solis and Russia’s Magomed Ibragimov.
In what appears to be a wide-open 70kg division, Iran’s Reza Shamsipour, who was not part of the Asian Championships squad, will face U17 Asian champion Adilet Rysbay of Kazakhstan, U17 European champion Nikolay Iliev of Bulgaria, Russia’s Mokhmad Baisultanov and American Camryn Howard.
Iran’s Amirali Ferasati dominated the 80kg field to win Asian gold in Da Nang and is expected to mount another strong challenge in Baku, though home favorite and U17 European champion Nihad Suleymanli will have other ideas.
Mohammadreza Issazadeh was one of only two Iranians to miss the podium at the Asian Championships and will need to deliver a much-improved performance in the 92kg division, which also features U17 European champion Abdurazak Shabanov of Russia, European silver medalist Ali Dadaev of France and U17 Pan-American champion Salah Tsarni of the United States.
Amirhossein Esmali will look to avenge his defeat to India’s Arush Rana in the U17 Asian final should the pair meet again in the 110kg division. Host wrestler and returning world bronze medalist Hakim Taghiyev will be aiming to upgrade his medal on home soil, while U17 European champion Murtaz Bagdavadze of Georgia, silver medalist Stefan Stefanov of Bulgaria, Russia’s Magomed Omarov and American Peter Mocco are also among the wrestlers to watch in the heavyweight class.
“We have carefully analyzed our opponents and also taken into account the conditions of competing in Azerbaijan,” Goudarzi said ahead of his team’s departure for Baku.
“Because of the 40-day war and the unavailability of our wrestlers, we missed a couple of warm-up tournaments, but our strength and conditioning coach worked around the clock to ensure the wrestlers reached the required level of physical and technical readiness,” added the former Olympic silver medalist.
Beyond immediate results, Goudarzi stressed that developing the next generation of elite wrestlers remains the program’s long-term objective.
“Our priority is building a strong pipeline for Iranian wrestling, helping these wrestlers progress to the senior level and ultimately win Olympic gold medals.
“I believe these boys can bring many good days to Iranian wrestling. I hope the Iranian people remember their names.”