Asian Wrestling Championships:
Iran eager to continue FS dominance
Iran will look to dominate the freestyle event at the Asian Wrestling Championships when the competition gets underway in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Friday.
Despite a hampered preparation and an exhausting road trip due to flight cancellations amid the ongoing military conflict in the region, the Iranian squad will still be the favourite to retain the team title in the Kyrgyz capital.
Head coach Pejman Dorostkar has lined up a mix of youth and experience for the showpiece, with Amirhossein Zare' spearheading the 10-man roster.
The reigning world champion will be the wrestler to beat in the 125kg weight class, having dominated the super-heavyweight category on global stage in recent years.
Two-time world 92kg champion Kamran Qassempour, meanwhile, will be eager for a fresh start in 86kg, following a below-par run, by his standards, at the World Championships and the Islamic Solidarity Games last year, which saw him settle for two bronze medals.
All eyes will be on a possible meeting between Iran's Amir-Ali Azarpira and Olympic gold medalist Akhmed Tazhudinov of Bahrain in the 97kg division.
The two wrestling stars last met at the World Championships in Zagreb last September, with the Iranian prevailing 5-2 in the semifinals to make up for his first-round setback against the Russian-born wrestler at the Paris Olympics.
Joining the high-profile trio in the Iranian freestyle squad are Milad Valizadeh (57kg), Ahmad Mohammadnejad Javan (61kg), Peyman Ne'mati (65kg), Sina Khalili (70kg), Amir-Mohammad Yazdani (74kg), Mahdi Yousefi (79kg), and Mohammad-Mobin Azimi (92kg).
The tournament will also serve as part of the Iranian team selection process for the World Championships and the Asian Games later in the summer.