Iranian lions roar in Paris

Led by Hassan Rangraz, the Iranian Greco-Roman wrestlers have claimed two gold medals as well as one silver and one bronze medal.

Iran’s dominance at the Paris Olympics has elevated the nation’s status in the world of Greco-Roman wrestling. The team’s success is expected to inspire a new wave of young wrestlers to pursue their dreams of Olympic glory.

Saeid Esmaeli, the youngest member of the Iranian team, displayed remarkable maturity and skill beyond his years. His journey to the gold medal was marked by decisive victories over formidable opponents. He defeated Algerian Ishak Ghaiou, Cuban Luis Orta and Slavik Galstyan of Armenia on his way to the final of 67kg. In the final match against Ukraine’s Parviz Nasibov, Esmaeli showcased exceptional technique and mental fortitude to secure a 6-5 victory, earning him the coveted gold medal.

Mohammadhadi Saravi, a seasoned veteran, delivered a dominant performance throughout the competition. His technical brilliance and powerful attacks were on full display as he cruised through the early rounds. In the final against Armenia’s Artur Aleksanyan, Saravi’s relentless pursuit of points proved to be the difference, securing a 4-1 victory and the gold medal. He beat American wrestler Joe Rau, Kyrgyzstan’s Dzhuzupbekov and Egyptian Mohamed Gabr before securing his place in the final.

Amin Mirzazadeh, the heavyweight representative for Iran, showcased exceptional heart and determination. After suffering a defeat in the early rounds, he rallied through the repechage bracket to secure a bronze medal. His victory over Azerbaijan’s Sabah Shariati in the bronze medal match was a highlight of the tournament.

In freestyle wrestling, Hassan Yazdani snatched a silver medal in the 86kg.

Yazdani suffered a hand injury at the beginning of the match and the was forced to request the doctor for several times.

The injury finally cost him and he lost to Bulgarian wrestler Magomed Ramazanov 7-1 in the final.

On his way to the final, Yazdani defeated Jayden Lawrence of Australia 10-0 in his first match and then beat Greek wrestler Dauren Kurugliev 9-4 and later defeated San Marino’s Myles Amine 7-1 in semifinals.

It was Yazdani’s third medal in the Olympics.

He had won a gold medal in the 2016 Olympic Games and also bagged a silver four years later in Tokyo.

In taekwondo, the Iranian women athletes won two historic silver and bronze medals.

Mobina Nematzadeh claimed a bronze medal in the women’s 49kg taekwondo played out inside Paris’ spectacular Grand Palais on Wednesday.

Nematzadeh defeated Saudi Arabia’s taekwondo athlete 2-0 to win the bronze medal.

She had defeated Michelle TauIn 2-0 from Lesotho in the round of 16 and Adriana Cerezo Iglesias of Spain, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist and 2023 world bronze medalist, 2-0 in quarterfinals. She failed to qualify for the final after losing to Chinese athlete Guo Qing in semifinals.

Nahid Kiani grabbed a silver medal in the women’s -57kg taekwondo at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.

Kim Yu-jin of South Korea defeated world No. 2 Kiani 2-0 (5-1, 9-0) in the final at the Grand Palais in the French capital.

Kiani had defeated Bulgaria’s Kimia Alizadeh in Round of 16, Tunisian Chaima Toumi in quarterfinals and Lebanon’s Laetitia Aoun in the semifinals.

Taekwondo athlete Mehran Barkhordari also won a silver medal in the Men’s 80 kg. He lost to Firas Katoussi from Tunisia 2-0 in the final. He had defeated Uzbekistan’s Jasurbek Jaysunov, Italian Simone Alessio and Seo Geon-woo of South Korea on his way to the final.