Free Style Wrestlers Scoop More Medals at World Championships
Theran – Iranian free style wrestlers have claimed more medals at the Wrestling World Championships 2024.
Muhammad Nokhodi won a bronze medal at the event on Thursday night.
Nokhodi, who had defeated American legendary wrestler Jordan Burroughs in the quarterfinals, defeated Kota Takahashi of Japan 10-0 in the 79kg bronze medal match.
The gold medal went to Avtandil Kentchadze of Georgia, who defeated Magomed Magomaev (AIN) in the final.
Earlier, In the 82kg final, Muhammad Ali Geraei claimed a gold medal at the competition.
Geraei was not to be denied in his first chance at world gold, as he stormed to a 9-0 victory over a shell-shocked Erik Szilvassy from Hungary.
Geraei, normally a 77kg wrestler who was competing at the heaviest weight of his career, encountered no problems handling the extra bulk against Szilvassy, a winner of international tournaments this year in Zagreb and Budapest.
Geraei, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics but missed the Paris Games due to a suspension, then completed a snap-down, go-behind takedown to finish the match in 1:35 and add the world gold to the bronzes he won at 71kg in 2017 and at 77kg in 2019 and 2021.
In the 55kg final Pouya Dad Marz seized a silver medal at the event. Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan defeated 2023 bronze medalist Dad Marz for the fourth time in four career meetings, but this one was the closest as he won 1-1 on last-point criteria after each received a passivity point.
It was an ironic defeat for Dad Marz, who had been on the winning end of the same scoreline in his two previous matches. In their most recent encounter at the Budapest Ranking Series in June, Azizli had bested the Iranian 6-1.
Romanian Denis Mihai and Emin Sefershaev S(AIN) won bronze medals.
The 2024 World Wrestling Championships was held in Tirana, Albania, on October 30-31.