Iranian Kamran Qassempour will continue as a 92kg wrestler until September’s World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Ehsan Amini, a member of the country’s freestyle coaching staff said.
Qassempour has dominated the weight class for the past two years, collecting back-to-back world golds.
However, the 26-year-old wrestler will have to move up to the 97kg class if he fancies his chances of adding Olympic glory to his medal haul in next year’s Paris Games, as the 92kg class will not be among the six freestyle events in the French capital.
Asked when Qassempour will begin a new chapter in his career, Amini told Fars News Agency: “What we know is that he will definitely compete in the 92kg contests at the World Championship and will decide if he wants to change his division after the event in Serbia.”
Last December’s Freestyle World Cup in Coralville, the United States, proved Qassempour will have a tough job on his hands to establish himself as a 97kg contender for the Olympics, as he was well beaten 5-0 by reigning world champion Kyle Snyder, after Iranian head coach Pejman Dorostkar decided to pit him against the American in the final.
Qassempour will also face domestic competition from young prodigy Amir-Ali Azarpira to wear the Iranian singlet in Paris.
Azarpira enjoyed a glittering year in 2022 as he bagged the world junior silver in August and then cruised to a second world under-23 gold in October.
He also burst onto the seniors’ stage in style, claiming emphatic wins at the FS World Cup – including a fall victory over the world silver medalist Batyrbek Tsakulov of Slovakia – before making way for Qassempour in the final showpiece.
Azarpira will still have the chance to lock horns with Snyder as both will be present at the Zagreb Open, starting next Wednesday in the Croatian capital.
The World Championships in September will be the first of the Paris 2024 qualification events, with the top five of each Olympic classes securing a quota for their countries at the Games.
Additional berths will be decided at the continental and world qualification tournaments in 2024.

 

Karen Khachanov reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time on Tuesday after Sebastian Korda retired injured while trailing 7-6(5) 6-3 3-0, dashing the American’s hopes of emulating his father Petr’s 1998 Melbourne Park triumph.
Korda, the 29th seed, struggled with a right wrist issue that needed treatment twice during the match on Rod Laver Arena before throwing in the towel in the third set, Reuters reported.
Khachanov had also reached the last four of the 2022 U.S. Open and said it felt great to be back in a Grand Slam semi-final.
“Obviously not the way you want to finish a match,” said the 18th seed.
“I think until a certain point, it was very competitive, very good battle.
“Sebastian beat one of my friends Daniil Medvedev in three sets and in Hubert Hurkacz in five sets I guess, he was playing great tennis.
“I’m feeling really good, to be honest, really happy with my level and how I compete and I’m looking forward to the semi-finals here in Australia the first time.”
Korda said he was struggling to even hold the racket after making a forehand in the second set.
“I had it a little bit in Adelaide a couple weeks ago, but then it went away,” said Korda, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open warm-up tournament.
“During the matches, it was completely fine. Then just one kind of mishit return, and it started to bother me a lot of after that.
“I have always been very close to winning the big matches, but now I’m getting through them,” Korda said. “I think that’s a huge lesson I have been learning. I’m really proud of myself.
Rybakina through
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also booked her place in the Melbourne Park semi-finals for the first time, the Kazakh 22nd seed beating Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a match that was played under the roof after a rain shower halted play.
“I’m super happy to be in the semi-finals for the first time,” said Rybakina. “Of course, I was nervous, particularly in the last game, but I’m happy I managed my emotions. I played really well today.”
Having begun her campaign on one of the outer courts at this year’s championship, Rybakina was every bit the star on the main showcourt with a dominant display in which she sent down 11 aces to quell 2017 Roland Garros champion Ostapenko.

 

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 of his 29 points in the first quarter, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in a 150-130 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.
The two-time MVP had been out with a sore left knee and was joined by three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, putting the Bucks’ prolific duo in the same lineup for the first time in more than a month, AP reported.
“The band is back together,” Antetokounmpo said.
Middleton, who hadn’t played since Dec. 15 due to a sore right knee, had eight points and four assists as a steadying presence for the Central Division-leading Bucks.
“It was great to see everyone playing together with no real chemistry issues,” said Bucks center Brook Lopez, who scored 21 points.
Milwaukee scored 49 points in the first quarter, two shy of the NBA record, and led Detroit by 25 after Antetokounmpo made all six of his shots in eight-plus minutes.
“I was trying to be aggressive and some shots fell,” he said.
After drawing defenders, Antetokounmpo also had two assists along with two rebounds in the opening quarter.
“It was impressive to come out and play the way he did,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He did a little bit of everything, just like the whole group that in that quarter.”
“A championship-caliber team came in and put their stamp on the game at the beginning. We didn’t respond, and that’s how you give up a 49-point first quarter. I liked our fight after that, but this is a 48-minute game,” Detroit coach Dwane Casey said.
Milwaukee led 83-55 at halftime, had 115 after three quarters and finished with a season high in points in a game that wasn’t competitive beyond the opening minutes.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 33 points and rookie Jalen Duren had a season-high 23 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons.