TEHRAN - Three Iranian Greco-Roman wrestlers have delivered a brilliant performance and advanced to the finals of World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
In the 55kg, 60kg, 77kg, and 82kg weight classes, Payam Ahmadi, Ali Ahmadi-Vafa, and Gholamreza Farrokhi reached the finals in commanding fashion, while Ali Oskou advanced to a medal-deciding bout.
In the 55kg category, Payam Ahmadi received a bye in the first round. In the following round, he defeated Nori (USA) 10–1 to advance to the quarterfinals. There, he beat Lalit (India) 9–0 to reach the semifinals. In the semifinal match, he secured a 7–1 victory over Iskhar Kurbayev (Kazakhstan) to book his spot in the final. Ahmadi will face the reigning world champion, Eldaniz Azizli (Azerbaijan), in the gold-medal match on Sunday.
In the 60kg category, Ali Ahmadi-Vafa also received a bye in the first round. He then defeated Abdolmohammad Papi (Germany) 9–1 to move into the quarterfinals. In that round, he overcame Razvan Arnaut (Romania) 8–0 to advance to the semifinals. In this round, Ahmadi Vafa defeated Alisher Ganiev—a world silver medalist from Uzbekistan—with a score of 8–3, advancing to the final. He is set to face Koto Gomi of Japan in the final tomorrow night.
In the 82 kg category, Gholamreza Farrokhi received a bye in the first round. In the second round, he defeated Hungary’s Zoltán Lévai—a world silver medalist—by a score of 6–0. He subsequently secured a 9–0 victory over Mihail Bradu of Moldova, advancing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Farrokhi defeated Gadzhiev of Russia. He will face an opponent from Turkey in the final.
In the 77 kg category, Ali Oskou defeated Čepauskas of Lithuania 11–0 in the first round. In the following round, he overcame Yryskeldi Maksatbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan 12–1 to reach the quarterfinals. He then defeated Robert Fritsch of Hungary 5–1 to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Oskou faced Sanan Suleymanov—a world silver medalist from Azerbaijan—and was defeated 2–0 in a match marred by poor officiating; he will now compete in the bronze-medal match.