Iran finishes FS runner-up in Champions wrestling tournament
Iran bagged 13 medals, including three golds, at the Champions international wrestling tournament in Antalya, Türkiye, claiming the runner-up spot behind Russia in the freestyle competitions.
The three-day showpiece featured under-20 wrestlers from global powerhouses of the sport, including Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia.
Reigning world under-23 champion Abolfazl Mohammadnejad – also a silver medalist at the U20 Worlds last year – added a second freestyle gold to Iran’s medal haul when he triumphed in the 125kg final on Sunday.
Abolfazl Shamsipour, meanwhile, settled for silver in the freestyle 86kg class on the final day.
Former world cadet champion Ahoura Khateri had walked away with the top prize in the freestyle 61kg weight class thanks to a 7-5 victory over Ali-Asghar Soltani in a thrilling all-Iranian showdown on Saturday.
Mohammad-Mahdi Mamivand (74kg) was the other Iranian silver medalist in the freestyle division, with Amirhossein Khakpa (92kg) and Danial Tavakkoli (97kg) finishing with consolation bronze medals in their respective events.
In the Greco-Roman category, world cadet champion Amirsam Mohammadi claimed the 97kg gold on Friday, while Ali Gharibi (63kg) and Mohammadreza Gholami (67kg) bagged two silver medals.
Alireza Amiri (55kg), former world under-17 gold medalist Amir-Mahdi Saeidi-Nava (77kg), and Alireza Mohammadhosseini (82kg) added three bronzes to the medal count for Iran, which was represented by 26 wrestlers at the tournament.