According to the news released on United World Wrestling’s official website, five Iranian wrestlers are among the top 10 wrestlers of both Greco-Roman and Freestyle categories.
The list was updated after the Asian Wrestling Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in freestyle division, but for the Greco-Roman the latest update happened after wrestlers competed at the Cerro Pelado in Havana, Cuba.
Olympic champion Hassan Yazdani, fresh off winning a gold medal at the Asian Championships in Bishkek, takes over the No. 1 ranking at 86 kg in freestyle.
By showing decisive consecutive wins at the games, Yazdani won the god medal of the event with all his matches ending under the standard six-minute period, Unitedworldwrestling.org reported on Thursday.
At the age of 23, Yazdani has decorated his trophy shelf with numerous international and Asian medals, including the gold medal of 2016 Rio Olympics. He was also announced the top male wrestler of the year by the United World Wrestling last December.
His Olympic gold medal set a remarkable moment in the history of Iran wrestling. Yazdani was the first person to achieve an Olympic gold medal in wrestling for the country after 16 years (four Olympics editions).
Greco-Roman Ranking
In the Greco-Roman division, the situation for Iranian wrestlers is more desirable with five wrestlers from the country among the top 10 released by the governing body of the sport.
In the 55 kg category, Reza Khedri occupies the top place. This is the first time he has received the world No. 1 title.
In addition to Khedri, two other Iranians had their names included in the list for the first time: In 97 kg, Seyyed Mostafa Salehizadeh as well as heavyweight Behnam Mehdizadeh in the 130 kg class are ranked as world No. 1 in their categories.
In 77 kg, Mohammad Ali Geraei was ranked No. 1. He finished second early in March at the Asian Championships in Bishkek.
Salehizadeh and Mehdizadeh both won gold in the latest continental event in Bishkek.
