Junior wrestlers from Iran won all three possible gold medals on the first day of Asian Cadet and Under 21 Wrestling Championships in the freestyle division in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The competitions were held in 65kg, 71kg and 80 kg on Saturday, according to the website of Iran Wrestling Federation.
Mohammad Karimi beat three rivals all with 10-0 result to enter the final clash where he beat the Kazakh wrestler Bekzat Zhalgassov to win gold. Stamnbul Zhanaybek from Kyrgyzstan, Inhyeok Joo of South Korea and Turkmen Khairullo Lululov were Karimi’s rivals on his way to the finals.
Gold was also taken by Mohammad Nokhodi in 71kg category; he first thrashed Temuujin Mendbileg from Mongolia 10-2 and then Hikaru Takata of Japan 12-4. In the semis Nokhodi overcame Azizbek Fayzullaev from the host country.
Kazakh wrestler Islambeyk Ilyassov was his rival in the final clash, who was also defeated by Nokhodi.
The third gold on the first day went to Mohammad-Reza Ghiyasi in 80kg category. After destroying Batmagnai Enkhtuvshin from Mongolia 10-0, Ghiyasi overpowered Kazakh contender Anar Guliyev 12-0 in his second match.
In the semifinals, the Iranian junior faced Japanese Yudai Takahashi who lost 8-6 to Ghiyasi. Iran’s 80kg wrestler then defeated Muhammadrasul Vahimov from the host nation to win gold.
To double the medal-winning joy, cadet wrestlers booked a place in the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games with their medals.
The 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games is a forthcoming international sports, cultural, and educational event that will be hosted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 6-18.
Three other wrestlers from Iran have found their way to the finals which means at least three silver medals is secured for the nation. Earlier Iran’s Greco-Roman team won four gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
