FIE World Rankings:
Iran up to 27th in men’s saber despite dismal World Championships
Iran's men's saber team climbed one place to 27th in the latest FIE World Rankings.
The rankings were released by the international fencing governing body on Friday, a day after the conclusion of the World Championships in Hong Kong, where Iran endured a disappointing campaign across the individual and team saber events.
A 45-35 defeat to Japan saw the Iranian quartet of Ali Pakdaman, Mohammad Fotouhi, Nima Zahedi, and Taha Kargarpour suffer a first-round exit in the men's team saber competition on Thursday.
Pakdaman was Iran's best performer at the global showpiece, reaching the last 16 of the men's individual event.
The former Asian champion claimed five successive victories to advance from the preliminary rounds. He then defeated Matteo Neri – a member of Italy's team that won gold at the previous World Championships – 15-13, before overcoming American William Morrill by the same scoreline. His run ended with a 15-6 defeat to Egypt's Mohamed Amer.
Fotouhi, Zahedi, and Kargarpour also progressed from the preliminary phase but failed to advance beyond the round of 64.
Zahedi was beaten 15-13 by Uzbekistan's Sardor Abdukarimbekov in his second knockout bout, while Kargarpour defeated Ukraine's Oleksiy Statsenko 15-13 before losing 15-11 to Russia's Kamil Ibragimov.
Fotouhi suffered a 15-10 defeat to Saudi Arabia's Adel Almutairi in the opening knockout round.
Pakdaman remained the highest-ranked Iranian in the men's individual saber rankings, retaining 41st place. He is followed by Kargarpour (111th), Zahedi (115th), and Fotouhi (174th).
France climbed to the top of the men's team rankings after winning the world title on Thursday, followed by runner-up South Korea, bronze medalist Romania, Hungary, and the United States.
France's Sébastien Patrice retained the No. 1 spot in the men's individual rankings despite exiting in the last 16 in Hong Kong.
South Korea's Do Gyeong-dong and Oh Sanguk complete the top three, while France's Maxime Pianfetti and Russian world champion Kamil Ibragimov round out the top five.