Iran Lands Asian Junior Team Title On the Back of Six Greco-Roman Gold Medalists

By Eric Olanowski

NEW DELHI, India (July 18) - Iran capped off their Greco-Roman domination at the Asian Junior Championships by picking up two gold medals on the second day of competition at the I.G. Sports Complex in New Delhi, India. 

Yesterday, Iran inserted five wrestlers into the finals and grabbed four gold medals. Today, they followed that up by placing four additional wrestlers into the finals, winning two gold medals. In total, Iran placed nine of ten wrestlers in the Greco-Roam finals and took home an impressive six gold medals. 

Hosein FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (IRI) and Amin KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) were the two Iranian heroes who closed out the Greco-Roman portion of the tournament with gold medals. Both wrestlers used shutout victories to claim their second age-level continental championships. 

Sajjad IMENTALABFOUMANI (IRI) was the lone Iranian who didn't make the Greco-Roman finals. Though he did not make the finals, he did save Iran’s quest for ten medals, fighting back after a heartbreaking semifinal loss to win two straight matches and seal his spot in the third-place match. In the bronze medal bout, Imentalbfoumani blanked India’s Malkit HOODA (IND), 7-0 and finished in third place. 

Overall, Iran finished with 30 wins and only suffered four defeats. More impressive, they shutout twenty opponents and finished sixteen bouts with technical superiority victories. 

RESULTS
TEAM SCORES

GOLD - Iran (225 points) 
SILVER - Kazakhstan (147 points)
BRONZE - Kyrgyzstan (135 points)
Fourth - India (129 points)
Fifth - Uzbekistan (117 points)

60kg 
GOLD - Galym KABDUNASSAROV (KAZ) df. Ali Reza Ayat Ollah NEJATI (IRI), 10-2 

BRONZE -  Kazuki YABE (JPN) df. Hassan Mohammed M WADDAN (KSA) , 10-0
BRONZE - Turabek TIRKASHEV (UZB) df. Talastan KANZHARBEK UULU (KGZ), 9-0 

67kg 
GOLD - Merey BEKENOV (KAZ) df. IBRAGIMOV Khalmurat (KGZ), 9-0 

BRONZE - Makhmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB) df. Xin HUANG (CHN), 3-2 
BRONZE - Sajjad Ali IMENTALABFOUMANI (IRI) df. Malkit HOODA (IND), 7-0 

72kg
GOLD -  Amin Yavar KAVIYANINEJAD (IRI) df. Beksultan NAZARBAEV (KGZ) , 9-0

BRONZE -  Bakhtovar KHASANOV (TJK) df. Jueun JEONG (KOR), 9-0 
BRONZE -  Nao KUSAKA (JPN) df. Alijon KHUSEYNOV (UZB), 9-1 

82kg 
GOLD -  Hosein Jahanbakhsh FOROUZANDEH GHOJEHBEIGLOU (IRI) df. Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ), 5-0  

BRONZE - Stanislav RYLSKIY (KAZ) df. Yudai SASAKI (JPN), 9-0 
BRONZE - Inseob KIM (KOR) df. Muzaffarbek KOMILJONOV (UZB), 7-6 

97kg 
GOLD -  Temur Mirzo MAMAJANOV (UZB) df. Vahid DADKHAH GHASEM ABADI (IRI), 3-1 

BRONZE -  SHERIMBEKOV Daniiar (KGZ) df. Akira YAMANAKA (JPN), 5-0 
BRONZE -  Viresh KUNDU (IND) df. Jeongyul KWON (KOR), 14-5