Iran freestyle finishes vice-champion at U23 world c’ships

The Iranian wrestlers won four gold medals and one silver in the competition held in Pontevedra, Spain, Tehran Times reported.

Georgia won the team title with 141 points. Favorites Iran finished second with 134 points while the US managed to get third with 112 points.

U20 world champions Amirhossein Firouzpour and Amirreaza Masoumi added a U23 world title to their respective age-group gold medals.

The third gold was bagged by Mohmmadsadegh Firouzpour who defeated Khadzhimurad Gadzhiyev from Azerbaijan, 5-2, at 74kg.

Firouzpour gave up a takedown against Gadzhiyev but roared with his own takedown to lead 2-2 at the break, before hitting another own one in the second period to all but seal it for him.

Last year, Firouzpour fell in the final of the tournament but redeemed himself with the gold medal in Pontevedra.

At 92kg, the elder Firouzpour continued his unparalleled domination in age-group world championships. He finished with a bronze medal in the U23 Worlds last year but Firouzpour made sure he amends that record by winning the 92kg gold against American Jacob Cardenas, 10-0.

The third gold medal was won by Masoumi who defeated Solomon Manashvili of Georgia, 13-2, in the 125kg final. Manasvili scored two stepouts to open the scoring but that was all he would score.

Masoumi exposed the poor conditioning of Manashvili, and scored 13 answered points with ease to win his third gold at age-group tournaments.

Amirmohammad Yazdani lost the 70kg final against U23 European champion Giorgi Elbakidze of Georgia in a dramatic manner, UWW.org reported.

Iran’s Greco-Roman team had won the team title with 138 points, 37 points more than second-placed Georgia.

Turkey finish third with 93 points.