Junior Asian Championships

Iran Adds 4 Golds at Junior Asian C'ships to Cap Off Dominant Greco Performance

Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - 14:31 By United World Wrestling Press

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CHON BURI, Thailand (July 10) - Iran capped off a dominant performance in Greco-Roman at the Junior Asian Championships on Wednesday by claiming four more gold medals, bringing their total gold-medal haul in Greco-Roman to seven over two days. 

Iran finished the Greco-Roman competition with 218 points, which was enough to win the team title by 72 points over runner-up Kazakhstan. India finished third in the team standings, one point behind Kazakhstan. 

Bahram MAROUFKHANI IMCHEH (67kg), Mohammadreza ROSTAMI (72kg), Hosein FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (82kg) and Hamed ABDOVALI (97kg) won gold medals for Iran on the final day of the Greco-Roman competition in Chon Buri, Thailand.

Maroufkhani Imcheh, a Takhti Cup silver medalist, earned his second straight gold at the Junior Asian Championships by shutting out Nurzhigit KENESHBEK UULU (KGZ) 6-0 in the finals at 67kg. The Iranian went up 4-0 in the first 35 seconds of the match after a takedown and throw. He would add another takedown 10 seconds into the final period. 

Rostami, a multiple-time medalist at the Cadet Asian Championships, lit up the scoreboard in his finals match against Alijon KHUSEYNOV (UZB), scoring 12 first-period points on his way to a 13-5 technical superiority to earn gold at 72kg. After going up 6-0 on the strength of a takedown and two gut wrenches, Rostami nearly ended the match early with another gut wrench, but Khuseynov defended, reversed the action and then scored with a gut wrench of his own, which made the score 8-5 in favor of the Iranian. Rostami controlled the action the rest of the way, scoring five straight step-out points to earn the technical superiority in the second period. 

Forouzandeh Ghojehbeiglou, like Maroufkhani Imcheh, won his second consecutive gold medal at the Junior Asian Championships. He was dominant in the 82kg finals, picking up a 10-0 technical superiority over Tesshin HIGUCHI (JPN). Forouzandeh Ghojehbeiglou scored first with a step out before using a four-point throw to build his lead to 6-0. He closed out the victory with a four-point, feet-to-back takedown late in the first period. 

Abdovali topped Jeongyul KWON (KOR) 4-2 to win the gold medal at 97kg. The Iranian scored with a gut wrench in the first period and added a takedown early in the second period. Kwon scored two points late in the match, but Abdovali held on for the win. 

At 60kg, Mukhammadkodir YUSUPOV (UZB) captured the gold medal with a 3-2 victory over Sachin RANA (IND). Yusupov scored all three of his points in the opening period. After going down 1-0, he picked up a reversal and then scored with a gut wrench. Rana scored a late step out, but it was too little, too late. 

The women's wrestling competition at the Junior Asian Championships begins on Thursday. Action is set to begin at 10 a.m. local time.

RESULTS

Final Greco-Roman Team Scores 
GOLD - Iran (218 points)
SILVER - Kazakhstan (146 points)
BRONZE - India (145 points)
Fourth - Uzbekistan (137 points)
Fifth - Japan (101 points)

60kg
GOLD - Mukhammadkodir YUSUPOV (UZB) df. Sachin RANA (IND), 3-2
BRONZE - Olzhas SULTAN (KAZ) df. Alamusi ALAMUSI (CHN), 11-0
BRONZE - Milad Ali REZANEZHAD (IRI) df. Yun Bin SHIN (KOR), 11-2

67kg
GOLD - Bahram MAROUFKHANI IMCHEH (IRI) df. Nurzhigit KENESHBEK UULU (KGZ), 6-0
BRONZE - Saurabh SAURABH (IND) df. Guotao ZHANG (CHN), 2-1
BRONZE - Umidjon AKHROROV (UZB) df. Minseong PARK (KOR), 8-0

72kg
GOLD - Mohammadreza ROSTAMI (IRI) df. Alijon KHUSEYNOV (UZB), 13-5
BRONZE - Rahul RAHUL (IND) df. Xin HUANG (CHN), 7-7
BRONZE - Daler REZA ZADE (TJK) df. Almazbek BEGALIEV (KGZ), 5-0

82kg
GOLD - Hosein FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (IRI) df. Tesshin HIGUCHI (JPN), 10-0
BRONZE - Eli MAGOMADOV (KAZ) df. Sanjeet SANJEET (IND), 8-0
BRONZE - Toyly ORAZOV (TKM) df. Danuson ARRICHUAI (THA), 8-0

97kg
GOLD - Hamed ABDOVALI (IRI) df. Jeongyul KWON (KOR), 4-2
BRONZE - Deepanshu DEEPANSHU (IND) df. Houzhi HAO (CHN), 5-4
BRONZE - Aday KURMANSEITOV (KAZ) df. Daniiar SHERIMBEKOV (KGZ), 3-0
 

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Wrestling 2025 Season Preview

Monday, February 3, 2025 - 08:02 By Vinay Siwach

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​CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (February 3) -- As the memories of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the World Championships in Tirana linger in the minds of wrestling fans, the 2025 season is already here. And it brings new hopes and a few challenges.

With the spotlight turning toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, this season promises to be a crucial stepping stone in winning a medal in LA 2028.

DOWNLOAD THE 2025 SEASON PREVIEW HERE

The four Ranking Series events in 2025 and the continental championships will serve as vital platforms for athletes preparing for the World Championships in September.

Freestyle (Click here to read full Freestyle preview)

At the 2024 World Championships, Masanosuke ONO (JPN) and Abdulrashid SADULAEV (AIN) stood out. Sadulaev will return to 97kg to reclaim the gold medal he lost to Akhmed TAZHUDINOV (BRN) in 2023. The 97kg weight class is highly competitive, with Tazhudinov’s Olympic win further elevating the stakes.

Kyle SNYDER (USA), once a dominant force at 97kg, now faces a crucial year after missing the Paris Olympics podium. In the 86kg category, Iran's Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), who narrowly missed a second Olympic gold due to injury, will decide which weight class is best for him in 2025.

The season kicks off in Zagreb in February and moves to Tirana for the first two Ranking Series. The continental championships will follow and Iran’s dominance in Asia is likely to continue with top wrestlers like Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) and Mohammad NOKHODI (IRI) expected to compete in the Asian Championships in Amman.

The European Championships will be key to gauging team strengths, with Azerbaijan looking to build on a successful 2024. The form of neutral athletes will also be under the scanner in Slovakia. The Pan-American Championships in May will see the United States dominate.

The World Championships will feature fierce competition, with new faces emerging in the U.S. and Iran, and Japan announcing themselves in style at the Olympics. Add to the mix the neutral athletes and we have a blockbuster.

Japan will be challenged at the World Championships by Iran, U.S., AINs and dark horses like Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI)Iran won two gold medals at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

Greco-Roman (Click here to reach full Greco-Roman preview)

Can Iran be topped as the best Greco-Roman country? This will be the big question of 2025 as Iran, which had an outstanding Olympics and age-group World Championships, tries to bring more talented wrestlers in its line-up.

Iran excels in the heavier weight classes, with champions like Mohammadali GERAEI (IRI) at 82kg, Alireza MOHAMMADI (IRI) at 87kg, Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) at 97kg, and Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) at 130kg. It will try new faces in the lower weight classes with Olympic champion Saied ESMAEILI (IRI) staying at 67kg.

Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN)Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN), blue, and Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) have dominated the 60kg weight class in recent past. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

Japan and Kyrgyzstan had successful Olympics. However, the latter is still searching for a gold medal. The rivalry between Zholaman SHARSHENBEKOV (KGZ) and and Kenichiro FUMITA (JPN) is likely to continue in 2025 along with Nao KUSAKA (JPN) and Akzhol MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) at 77kg.

Europe will have more competition with Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Armenia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary and the neutral athletes in contention. The 77kg and 87kg weight class will be the most contested and it will be interesting to see who will be the new stars of 97kg and 130kg.

Greco-Roman is unpredictable at the World Championships. There is not one weight class that his a favorite. However, one can expect Azerbaijan, Iran, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Armenia, Hungary and a few AINs to be on the podium.

JapanJapan won eight gold medals at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Women's Wrestling (Click here to read full Women's Wrestling preview)

Japan remains the dominant force in women’s wrestling, securing four of the six gold medals at the Paris Olympics, including their first-ever win at 76kg.

The United States, which claimed the remaining two golds, stands as Japan’s primary challenger. Amit ELOR (USA) and Kennedy BLADES (USA) will lead the U.S. charge in the build-up to the 2028 LA Games, with both nations having strong domestic qualifying systems.

China has had success at the Olympics and World Championships but struggles to challenge Japan at the senior level. In Asia, China faces increasing competition from India and Kyrgyzstan.

IndiaIndia has shown rapid rise in Women's Wrestling. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

India's growing success in age-group wrestling shows promise, but its performance at the senior level, especially at the World Championships, remains inconsistent. Wrestlers like ANTIM (IND), ANSHU (IND), NISHA (IND), and REETIKA (IND) have potential but must maintain consistency.

Kyrgyzstan, with two Olympic medalists in Paris, is aiming for gold next cycle. Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) still has more to give, while Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) will lead the new generation.

European countries struggled in Paris, winning only four medals out 24, failing to secure medals in 50kg, 53kg, and 76kg.

One team that is gives hope is Ukraine, led by with Paris medalist Iryna KOLIDENKO (UKR), and boosted by return of Oleksandra KHOMENETS (UKR) and rise of Iryna BONDAR (UKR).

Despite emerging challenges, Japan continues to be the team to beat in women’s wrestling.