TEHRAN – Iranian Greco-Roman wrestlers claimed three medals on Tuesday in the Asian Wrestling Championships underway in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Naser Ghasem Alizadeh won a gold medal in the 87kg after defeating Jalgasbay Berdimuratov from Uzbekistan 3-1, Tehran Times reported on Tuesday.
Iman Muhammadi also won a bronze medal in the 63kg after withdrawal of Syrian wrestler Ahmad Al Nakdali.
In the 77kg weight class, Aref Habibollahi seized a bronze medal after Kim Hyeonwoo from South Korea pulled out of the third-place match.
More than 250 Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlers from 22 countries and regions including Iran, Mongolia, Japan, India, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and South Korea are participating in the championships, organizers said, adding that the event is the first to be held in Mongolia in 21 years.
The Asian Wrestling Championships will be the first of four major events of the sport coming Iran’s way in less than six months.
Iran will then head to Konya, Turkey, for the fifth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games, starting August 9, according to the Iran Daily newspaper.
However, with only a few days separating the Wrestling World Championships and the wrestling competitions of the Asian Games, both Iranian head coaches Pejman Dorostkar and Mohammad Bana are already facing a dilemma on who to pick for each event.
The world event will get underway in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on September 10 – four days before the wrestling contests of the Games begin in Hangzhou, China.
With the hectic schedule on their minds, both coaches decided to name a rather young, new-look squad for the Asian Championships, leaving out the majority of the wrestlers who represented the country at last year’s Tokyo Olympics and the World Championships in Oslo, Norway.
The Iranian Greco-Roman 10-man team steered by Bana will feature only two members of the squad that was crowned the Asian champion in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 12 months ago.
Nasser Alizadeh delivered an impressive senior debut by snatching the 87kg gold, while Mehdi Bali also grabbed the ultimate prize in the 97kg weight class.
Meanwhile, of the 10 Iranians at the freestyle event in Ulaanbaatar, only four have the experience of participation in the major events under their belts – Rahman Amouzad (65kg), Younes Emami (74kg), Muhammad-Hussein Muhammadian (97kg), and Yadollah Mohebbi (125kg).
The 35th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championships will last until Sunday.