Taleb Nariman Nematpour celebrates last night after winning the 84kg World Championship in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Papp László Sportaréna in Budapest. The Iranian wrestler bested former Iranian Olympian and current Azerbaijani starter Saman Ahman Tahmasebi, 5-3.Photo: T.R. Foley

The Sounds of Viktor-y

Buoyed by an energetic horn-blowing crowd yelling chants of “Hajra Viktor!” hometown hero Viktor Lorincz earned the bronze medal at 84kg defeating Rami Antero Hietanemi of Finland, 2-0. Though the match revolved around the typical intricacies of Greco-Roman hand-fighting and slips, the Hungarian kept his supporters stomping the stands in support of his effort.

The enthusiasm for Viktor was due in part to his family’s recent successes on the mat. His brother Tomas Lorincz was a bronze medalist in London and is currently the top-ranked 66kg Greco-Roman wrestler in the world.

“I cannot believe I have done it, I am extremely happy,” said Lorincz. “It has been great to feel the fans and of course my family behind me. I had the feeling I had to win every match.”

He finished his statement, “My idol is my brother Tamas I could not wish a better brother for me.”

Balazs Kiss, who earned the bronze at 96kg felt a similar energy from the fans, who rose to their feet after his 5-0 win over Mahdi Abbas Aliyarifeizabadi of Iran. As they did for Viktor, fans chanted “Balazs! Balazs! Balazs!” to help encourage their hometown wrestler.

“I know it is a cliché that community gives you a lot of energy, but in my case it is absolutely right,” said Kiss. “Fans helped me in my most difficult moments, I had the felling that I could not lose that match.”

All-Iranian Finals

Taleb Nariman Nematpour of Iran used a late front head lock exposure to earn the 5-3 win over Saman Ahman Tahmasebi of Azerbaijan. The match, which was back and forth, wasn’t the first time the two had met, as Tahmasebi is originally from Iran and the two have been friends for more than 10 years.

Tahmasebi, a 2006 and 2007 World bronze medalist for Iran represented his birth country at the 2008 Olympics, but left in 2009 to seek citizenship in Azerbaijan. According to the Iranian fans, Tahmasebi is the son of a baker from a small village in Iran and after getting injured in 2008 wasn’t receiving the funding he needed to support his mother and father. The Azerbaijanis were welcoming and able to fund his training.

The Hungarian crowd applauded Tahmasebi for his gold medal performance, and for the sportsmanship he showed in taking time from his celebration to embrace Nematpour. After the match the two friends exchanged pleasantries with each other and their respective coaching staffs.

“Of course I am very pleased with the gold medal,” said Nematpour. “But if I were the silver medalist I still would not have been disappointed as the winner would have been my best friend.”

Athlete Commission Named

Seven athletes were nominated by their peers on Friday in Budapest to serve on the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles’ (FILA) newly formed Athlete Commission. The commission, which was part of the organization’s commitment to involve athletes in the international federation, includes three Olympic champions and wrestlers from three continents.

The athletes on the commission are Maria Prevolaraki, Greece (101 votes); Carol Huynh, Canada (100 votes); Jake Herbert, USA (97 votes); Kaori Icho, Japan (91 votes); Christophe Guenot, France (87 votes); Hamid Soryan Reihanpour, Iran (81 Votes) and Tomas Lorincz, Hungary (80 votes).

Large Weekend Crowds

With the weekend, came the fans. Though attendance was sluggish earlier in the week, the Saturday fans didn’t just show up, they cheered and jeered their opponents. Swedes, Fins, Iranians all ignored the weather and dedicated their weekend to the wrestlers inside the Paps Laszlo Arena.

Russia Puts Two in Finals

Ivan Kuylakov and Nikita Melnikov both found their way into the finals on Saturday, giving Russia points enough to put themselves in first-place heading into the final day of the competition.

Kuylakov faced Ivo Angelov of Bulgaria in the 60kg finals, losing a close 4-3 decision.

“I ran out of energy towards the end of the match which is why he was able to score the turn” said Angelov. “All in all I am satisfied because I won the silver medal.”

For Melnikov the night was better earning a hard fought 2-2 win over Artur Aleksanyan of Armenia – earning a criteria victory based in fewer cautions. Though he won the gold, the Russian wrestler was displeased with his efforts, claiming he was less efficient than he wanted.

“It has been a hard competition for me today,” said Melnikov. “Despite my victory I am not completely satisfied which is due to the fact that I could have competed more effectively.

Team Race Heating Up

Host country Hungary is putting together an impressive performance in their home stadium. The local contingent has placed three wrestlers in the first four weight classes, earning bronze medals at 55kg, 84kg and 96kg, and sits one point out of the lead held by perennial powerhouse, and 2011 team champion, Russia.

Russian          25
Hungary         24
Azerbaijan     20
Armenia         20
Korea             17

T.R. Foley

FILA News Bureau