Junior Asian Championships

Iran Captures Freestyle Team Title on Final Day of Junior Asian C'ships

Sunday, July 14, 2019 - 13:49 By United World Wrestling Press

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CHON BURI, Thailand (July 14) - After winning the Greco-Roman team title on Wednesday, Iran captured the freestyle team title on the final day of the Junior Asian Championships in Chon Buri, Thailand.

For the second straight day, Iran won three gold medals in freestyle, bringing the gold-medal haul to six over the two-day freestyle competition. Iran finished with 201 points, 55 points ahead of runner-up Japan. India finished third in the team standings with 129 points. 

Iran's gold medalists on Sunday were Mahdi SHIRAZI (61kg), Ali Reza ABDOLLAHI (92kg) and Amir ZARE (125kg). 

Mahdi SHIRAZI (IRI) claimed a gold medal at 61kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Shirazi used a big first period to pace him to a 6-0 victory over Nodir RAKHIMOV (UZB) in the gold-medal match at 61kg. After scoring his first point from the activity clock, Shirazi picked up a four-point, feet-to-back takedown to build his lead to 5-0. He would add an additional point off a caution in the second period to win by six. 

Ali Reza ABDOLLAHI (IRI) scored with a big throw in the finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Abdollahi, a cadet world champion, was dominant in the 92kg finals, beating Ajiniyaz SAPARNIYAZOV (UZB) by 10-0 technical superiority in the first period. After scoring with a step out, Abdollahi executed a throw midway through the first period to score four points and go up 5-0. A short time later, he picked up a four-point, feet-to-back takedown. The call was challenged and upheld, giving the Iranian the gold medal. Last year Abdollahi won gold at the Cadet Asian Championships. 

Zare, also a cadet world champion, cruised to the gold medal at 125kg by beating Buheeerdun BUHEEERDUN (CHN) 11-1 in the finals. Zare got on the scoreboard first with a step out before Buheeerdun responded a short time later with a step out of his own to take the lead on criteria. But the Iranian dominated the rest of the way. He scored a couple takedowns to go up 5-1 and then used a gut wrench to turn Buheeerdun twice and build his lead to 9-1. Zare fired off a single leg late in the first period for another takedown, which closed out the technical superiority. 

Parveen MALIK (IND) won the gold at 74kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Parveen MALIK (IND) hung on to defeat Tu AHEIYOU (CHN) 4-2 in the gold-medal match at 74kg. He adds a junior Asian gold to his collection after winning a cadet Asian gold in 2017. Malik scored all four of his points in the first 30 seconds of the match off a four-point, feet-to-back takedown. Aheiyou battled his way back into the match, but ultimately fell short.

Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) defeated Baisal KUBATOV (KGZ) in the 86kg finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) edged Baisal KUBATOV (KGZ) 2-1 in the finals at 86kg. Shirai scored first off the activity clock and then with a step out to take a 2-0 lead at the break. Kubatov found his first point in the final 15 seconds, but Shirai would hang on to win. 

RESULTS

Final Freestyle Team Scores 
GOLD - Iran (201 points)
SILVER - Japan (146 points)
BRONZE - India (129 points)
Fourth - Kazakhstan (111 points)
Fifth - Korea (111 points)

61kg
GOLD - Mahdi SHIRAZI (IRI) df. Nodir RAKHIMOV (UZB), 6-0
BRONZE - Ikromzhon KHADZHIMURODOV (KGZ) df. Kodai OGAWA (JPN), 8-4
BRONZE - Adil OSPANOV (KAZ) df. Putawan SENAWAT (THA), 10-0

74kg
GOLD - Parveen MALIK (IND) df. Tu AHEIYOU (CHN), 4-2
BRONZE - Yu FUJITA (JPN) df. Jinwoo MOON (KOR), 11-0
BRONZE - Amirhossein KAVOUSI (IRI) df. Bayarsaikhan TSEDENBALJIR (MGL), 11-0

86kg
GOLD - Tatsuya SHIRAI (JPN) df. Baisal KUBATOV (KGZ), 2-1
BRONZE - Govind KUMAR (IND) df. Seyedabolfazl HASHEMIJOUYBARI (IRI), 8-4
BRONZE - Jeongwoo PARK (KOR) df. Teng ZHAO (CHN), 3-0

92kg
GOLD - Ali Reza ABDOLLAHI (IRI) df. Ajiniyaz SAPARNIYAZOV (UZB), 10-0
BRONZE - Haksu BAN (KOR) df. Enkh Orgil BEEJIN (MGL), 4-2
BRONZE - Symbat SULAIMANOV (KGZ) df. Bekzat URKIMBAY (KAZ), FALL

125kg
GOLD - Amir ZARE (IRI) df. Buheeerdun BUHEEERDUN (CHN), 11-1
BRONZE - Vishal VISHAL (IND) df. Gan Erdene SODBILEG (MGL), 7-0
BRONZE - Bakdaulet OSSERBAY (KAZ) df. Shogo MUTO (JPN), 10-0
 

'I was destroyed, couldn't sleep': Ghasempour recalls painful loss to Sadulaev

Monday, March 10, 2025 - 10:53 By Vinay Siwach

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TIRANA, Albania (March 10) -- "I've thought about it a lot. Of course, it's in the past and thinking about it won't change anything. But I've thought a lot about why I made a mistake in those four seconds and I could have managed the wrestling differently and finished it very easily."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) stares at the empty walls of the interview room as he recalls the heartbreaking and shocking 5-3 loss to Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW) in the semifinal of the World Championships last October.

The images of Ghasempour holding his head in hands after the loss went viral on social media. Sadulaev was praised for his champion mindset and his ability to script a remarkable late turnaround. Ghasempour was consoled by his fans, who urged him to not lose heart.

Those comforting words felt hollow at that point and Ghasempour felt 'lost'.

"The reality is that the fighting spirit and the feeling I had on the first day of the competition caused all those feelings to disappear and I was destroyed. I couldn't control myself and I just wanted the competition to end and go back," Ghasmepour says, with his voice breaking as he recollects his thoughts.

For 5 minutes and 55 seconds, Ghasempour controlled the 92kg semifinal against Sadulaev, a two-time Olympic champion known for his must-win attitude. A loss would have reinforced the belief that the Sauldaev aura was fading. A win for Ghasempour, a two-time world champion at 92kg, would make him only the third wrestler to beat Sadulaev.

But with five seconds remaining, Sadulaev snapped the Iranian down, spun behind, then managed to fling him to the mat for a 4-point takedown.

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Abdulrashid SADULAEV (UWW), behind, hits the match-winning takedown on Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI). (Photo: United World Wrestling / Amirreza Aliasgari)

"It was also very difficult for me to come to terms with the loss," Ghasempour recalls. "After the match, I felt very bad and didn't sleep all night. I was awake from the intensity of thought and pressure, and it was very difficult for me. Due to the pressure I was under, I took four painkillers after the match."

A few hours of sleep was never going to be enough for Ghasempour to return for his bronze-medal bout against David TAYLOR (USA), which he lost 6-2.

Four months have passed since that day in Tirana, a city Ghasempour returned for the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series last week and captured the gold medal. Though not the World Championships and there was no Sadulaev in the field, Ghasempour managed to bring a smile on his face as he stood on the podium.

However, memories flashed back.

"When I was going up to the podium [after winning gold], I thought again that I could have been standing on the Worlds podium a few months ago, not this tournament," he said. "But that's how sports is, and if a professional athlete wants to continue their path, they must know that winning and losing are part of sports."

Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI)Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) won the 92kg gold medal at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in February. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kadir Caliskan)

Ghasempour did take comfort from the messages he received. Yet, he is unable to move on from those five seconds of lapse in concentration.

"People gave me a lot of good energy and praised me constantly, which shows the kindness of the people," he says. "But what I wanted didn't happen and the result wasn't as I wanted. It would have been better if it ended with a good result."

As the new Olympic cycle begins, Ghasempour wants to make amends. There will be many pit stops before he can be at his first Olympics and he wants to capture every gold medal that comes his way.

"There are three more World Championships left before the Olympics [in 2028]," he says. "The World Championships are very important to me, and after that, it's the Olympic medal that I want to have in my medal showcase. In the year leading up to the Olympics, I will make the decision and compete in a weight class so that I can participate in the Olympics."