Special shoutout to Arash YOSHIDA (JPN), who won gold by beating Snyder in SF and Erfan ALIZADEH in Finals.
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Mohamdipiani wins Gold in GR 87kg in TiranaComment
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Mirzazadeh in GR 130 finals vs. Bakir (Turkie) in Tirana.Comment
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Mirza wins GOLD! We dominate heavy weight wrestling.
Our GR team didn't do as great overall (not a surprise, we're much stronger in FS). GR team came in 4th overall in Tirana.Comment
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Next up: Asian Championships week after Nowruz.Comment
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Why is so much wrestling in Albania now?
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Maybe because it's an easy geographic location between Europe and Asia? I personally don't like having tournaments there since they harbor MEK and also banned our wrestlers in the past.Originally posted by Nokhodi View Post
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We are STACKED at GR (and FS) heavy weights:
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'I was destroyed, couldn't sleep': Ghasempour recalls painful loss to Sadulaev at World Championships
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."
"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.
"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."
"When I was going up to the podium [after winning gold in Tirana], 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."
"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."
"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."
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as predicted before
Ghasempour will lose massive lbs and wrestle in 86kg Olympic weight class while SULTAN will move up to the next Olympic weight class.
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Masoumi: Young star's quest for wrestling glory
AMMAN, Jordan (March 18) — Amirreza Masoumi (IRI) already has his eyes set on next week’s Asian Championships in Amman. His goal is clear: gold. But the path to the podium runs through two opponents he knows all too well — Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) and BUHEEERDUN (CHN).
Two years ago at the Asian Championships in Astana, the then 18-year-old Masoumi suffered his only international losses to non-Iranian wrestlers. A semifinal defeat to Munkhtur was followed by a bitter loss to Buheeerdun in the bronze-medal bout at 125kg. Now, as a more focused and confident 20-year-old, Masoumi is eager to avenge those setbacks.
Masoumi has grown immensely since then. He is now a six-time world champion in various age groups, with two more titles added in 2024. In those competitions, he didn’t allow a single point to be scored against him. He continued his flawless form at the 2025 Zagreb Open, outscoring his opponents 42-0 in four matches. His elbow, which had once been a source of discomfort, is now fully healed, and Masoumi shows no signs of slowing down.
"I hope to use this experience and return to win the World Championships in Zagreb," he says after claiming gold in the Croatian capital.
Masoumi is on phone with his family, showing them the new sneakers he has bought in Zagreb. Not one but three pairs.
He loves shoes.
"I have a sneaker collection myself, and I really love shoes," he said. "I always carry a lot of them with me. For example, in this tournament alone, I brought five pairs. I mostly try to wear special brands and new collections. I think I have around 100 pairs of shoes."
That's where he spends most his money.
"I don't have to spend money on my face because it's perfect."
That is one way of easing off before the interview. Masoumi settles down with a big bar of chocolate which he finishes by the first two questions into the interview.
Masoumi has just won the Zagreb Open gold medal in a dominating manner and began the new Olympic cycle with a bang.
"The ultimate dream for every athlete is definitely an Olympic gold, and that’s mine as well," he says. "I want to stand on the podium in Los Angeles in four years."
Masoumi is the most exciting heavyweight wrestling on the planet. He isn't your regular teenager of 125kg. Masoumi is a very quick for 125kg who destroys his opponents with a smile. He has six age-group world titles in three years.
He can gut-wrench, switch to the typical Iranian underhook pushouts and even wore down the opponents with his heavy-hands.
Masoumi was 16 when made his international debut at the 2021 U17 World Championships in Budapest at 110kg. He outscored his opponents 35-1 in four bouts and won gold. Then came the U20 World Championships next year. He won gold at 125kg and followed it with a gold medal at the U23 Worlds the same year. He was 17.
His senior debut came in 2022 at the World Cup in Coralville, Iowa, where he won all three of his bouts as Iran finished second to the United States.
The year 2023 wasn’t as fruitful, with Masoumi suffering losses at the Asian Championships and domestically. However, he was given the chance to challenge Zare for a spot in the Iranian team for the Paris Olympics. The match-up took place at the 2024 Zagreb Open, but Masoumi came up short.
Since then, he has bounced back with gold medals at five international tournaments, and now he is aiming for a sixth in Amman.
So, how did a wrestler from Gilan, a province not traditionally known for freestyle wrestling, rise to prominence so quickly?
“There’s no rivalry between us and Mazandaran,” Masoumi says. "It feels good to beat a province known for producing many wrestlers like Mazandaran, but I don’t feel good about defeating a specific city or village. There’s no animosity."
Masoumi was born in Masal village of the Gilan town in northern Iran. His father, Fardin, is a two-time World Championships medalists and the one who pushed him into wrestling.
"When I was three or four years old, when my father wrestled and I went to the competition hall to watch his practice, my childhood was intertwined with wrestling right there," he says. "I was able to get to know the wrestling environment much better in my childhood."
But it was a third-place finish, Masoumi's first medal at a national tournament, which resulted in congratulatory message and reception for Masoumi which he loved.
"I was 12 or 13 years old at the time," he said. "When I came third, I saw everyone come to our house and congratulate me, and I saw what a good feeling it was. So I tried to continue this process until now that I am here."
Standing tall at two metres, Masoumi is lanky for 125kg. More Geno than Zare. But he has to continuously monitor his weight which he does not want to go too high.
"My mother is almost 180cm tall and my father is 186cm," he said. "We're a tall family overall. However, I still control myself a lot to keep my weight down, especially since my mom tries not to feed me too much. I'm right on the edge for the 125 kg weight class, and if I gain any more weight, I'll have to cut it. That's why I'm very careful. My physique is also more similar to my mom and dad's."
Fardin was his first coach and Masoumi would watch his father's bouts against different competitors. While he kept a few techniques of his father, Masoumi was impressed with the others as well. Like the double underhooks he uses to drive his opponents out-of-bounds. Masoumi says he picked that from former world champion Bilyal MAKHOV (RUS).
"I mostly learned this from Makhov and his techniques in the World Championship final -- how he would get under his opponent’s armpit and drive them backward," he said. "I really liked how he was always moving forward. He was physically huge and kept attacking non-stop."
As he kept putting Gilan on the wrestling map, Masoumi was now being known. People will come to his home, farm and his father's business to congratulate. Being a successful Iran has its share of challenges. Growing up in Gilan and around wrestling, Masoumi wasn't unaware of the pressure it brings. There are fans who become your coach from stands, or even warm-up partners. Iran wrestlers are in the public eye most of their lives.
"I don't know about other countries, but in Iran, it's like that," Masoumi says. "It's the love."
Masoumi's first experience of "stardom" came after he former Asian champion Yadollah MOHEBI (IRI) at the selection trials in Iran.
"When I came out [of the stadium], there was a huge crowd, and a lot of spectators had come for the wrestling," Masoumi recalls ."I noticed many fans were coming up to take pictures with me. That’s when I felt like I was slowly entering an environment with a lot of pressure, and I realized I was growing in this kind of atmosphere."
Masoumi's personality clicks with the fans. He is humble yet celebrates his wins, he acknowledges the fans and doesn't shy away from being cheeky with his opponents after winning the bouts. He also witty.
"I think this comes down to my personality. I’m a bit hyperactive and always try to have my own unique style without being afraid," he says.
He expects them in Amman as well.
For Masoumi, the Asian Championships hold major significance -- not just for this year, but for his entire career. While world champion and Olympic silver medalist Amir Hossein ZARE (IRI) holds the top spot for Iran at 125kg, Masoumi is gunning for that position.
A gold medal in Amman would give Masoumi the chance to challenge Zare for a spot on Iran team for the 2025 World Championships.
"My opponent, Zare, is a tough competitor," Masoumi says. "I’ve been wrestling against him in Iran’s national team trials for three years now. I believe I can secure my spot on the national team this year and win gold at the World Championships."
Zare is also in top form, having won gold at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in similar dominant fashion. The world waits for their third meeting, likely at the Takhti Cup, Iran’s premier tournament, at the end of April. The winner of the best-of-three series will secure a spot at the World Championships.
"I need to compete in the Asian Championships," Masoumi says. "Any wrestler who wants to start in Iran should begin with the Takhti Cup and then move on to the 2025 World Championships."
Masoumi believes his unique wrestling style will give Zare trouble.
"I feel that match will be a great one for all wrestling fans. I think my wrestling style in the heavyweight category is quite unique. I don’t think there’s anyone in Iran’s heavyweight division with a six-pack. Naturally, in my mind, I aim to defeat Amirhossein to make up for my two previous losses."
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Asian championship 2025 Iran entries:
Free Style
Masoumi at 125kg.
Iran's bench strength will be tested in the other weight classes as it hopes to win medals with Khalili at 70kg, Ahmad JAVAN (IRI) at 61kg, Abbas EBRAHIMZADEH (IRI) at 65kg, Mohammad Reza SHAKERI (IRI) at 74kg, Mahdi YOUSEFI (IRI) at 79kg, Abolfazl RAHMANI (IRI) at 86kh and Mohammadmobin AZIMI (IRI) at 97kg.
Greco-Roman
With two Olympic champions and several age-group and senior world champs, Iran's juggernaut in Greco-Roman is set to continue at the Asian Championships. Led by Saeid ESMAEILI (IRI) and Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) at 67kg and 97kg respectively, Iran will be hoping to win at least five gold medals.
Add to the list the phenom Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) at 130kg, who is quickly rising to be the best Greco-Roman in the super heavyweight class.
Poya DAD MARZ (IRI) at 55kg, Pouya NASERPOUR (IRI)at 60kg, Danial SOHRABI (IRI) at 72kg, Alireza ABDEVALI (IRI) at 77kg, Mohammad NAGHOUSI (IRI) at 82kg and Yasin YAZDI (IRI) at 87kg complete the line-up expected to dominate at the Asian Championships.
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5 golds and 3 silvers in greco roman wrestling at asian champs. 8 finalists out of 10 weight classes.
Japanese have been put in their place. Uzbeks tried to take our throne but the turanians failed.
We are greco kings!Comment
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^very impressive! Thank you TM!Comment
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