The second day of the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, featured the finals and classification bouts in the 55, 60, 77 and 82 kg weight classes, with Iran winning four medals.
Iran’s wrestlers collected one gold, two silver and one bronze medal across the four weight classes. However, two of the finals ended in defeats for Iranian representatives, despite opportunities for different outcomes.
Farrokhi Strikes Gold for Iran
Gholamreza Farrokhi, competing in the 82 kg weight class, received a bye in the first round before facing Hungary’s Zoltán Lévai, a world silver medalist, in the second round. Farrokhi won 6-0 by technical fall.
He then defeated Mihail Bradu of Moldova 9-0 to advance to the semifinals. There, he beat Gadzhiev of Russia in a 3-3 bout to secure his place in the final.
Farrokhi continued his impressive performance in the final against Turkey’s Sarıçicek, winning 5-1 to claim the gold medal in the 82 kg weight class for Iran.
Payam Ahmadi Takes Silver After Losing World Final
Iranian wrestler Payam Ahmadi, competing in the 55 kg weight class, lost 3-1 to Azerbaijan’s Eldeniz Azizli in the final of the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships and had to settle for silver.
After receiving a bye in the first round, Ahmadi began his campaign with a 10-1 victory over Nouri of the United States in the second round. He then defeated India’s Lalit 9-0 in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals.
The Iranian wrestler beat Kazakhstan’s Iskhar Korbayev 7-1 in the semifinals to advance to the final, but was unable to overcome his Azerbaijani opponent in the last bout.
With this result, Ahmadi repeated the silver-medal finish he achieved at last year’s World Championships.
Ali Ahmadi Vafa Wins Silver in World Final as Gold Slips Away
Iranian wrestler Ali Ahmadi Vafa, competing in the 60 kg weight class, lost to Japan’s Koto Gumi in the final of the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships and settled for silver.
Ahmadi Vafa initially took a commanding 7-1 lead, but was later defeated by technical fall by his Japanese opponent, missing the opportunity to win gold.
After receiving a bye in the first round, the Iranian representative defeated Germany’s Abdol Mohammad Papi 9-1 in the next round. He then beat Romania’s Razvan Arnaut 8-0 in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals, where he defeated Uzbekistan’s Alisher Ganiev, a world silver medalist, 8-3.
Esko Wins Bronze
In the continuation of the finals and classification bouts for the first four weight classes at the 2026 World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan, Ali Esko, Iran’s final representative across those four weight classes, faced Uzbekistan’s Nakibov in the 77 kg bronze-medal bout. He secured a narrow 4-3 victory to win bronze.
Iran’s Greco-Roman Wrestlers Shine on Day Two; Hedayati and Sohrabi Reach Finals, Saravi Advances to Bronze-Medal Bout
Iran’s Greco-Roman wrestlers delivered an outstanding performance on the second day of the World Championships in Kazakhstan. Fardin Hedayati secured a place in the final with a commanding semifinal victory over his Finnish opponent. Mohammad Hadi Saravi lost to a Russian wrestler and was relegated to the bronze-medal bout, while Danial Sohrabi reached the final with a decisive win over his Russian opponent.
Iran’s national Greco-Roman wrestling team showcased its strength on the second day of the World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, recording a series of consecutive victories over their opponents.
Fardin Hedayati, competing in the 130 kg weight class, secured two consecutive wins to reach the quarterfinals. He then defeated his Finnish opponent 9-0 in the semifinals to advance to the final.
Danial Sohrabi defeated Russia’s Mingiyan Goryaev 9-0 in the semifinals of the 72 kg weight class to secure his place in the final. Mohammad Hadi Saravi, however, lost to a formidable Russian wrestler who had won a world silver medal and advanced to the bronze-medal bout.
Fardin Makes a Statement in the World’s Heavyweight Division
Fardin Hedayati, Iran’s representative in the 130 kg Greco-Roman wrestling weight class, made a strong start at the World Championships. He faced Lithuania’s Frederikas in the first round. Hedayati was leading the bout when, following a wrestling move that put his opponent in a bridge position, the Lithuanian wrestler sustained a shoulder injury and withdrew, handing the victory to the Iranian.
Hedayati continued his campaign in the round of 16 against Kazakhstan’s Sırlıbay. In a commanding performance, he defeated his opponent 8-0 to reach the quarterfinals. He then beat China’s Jiang 9-0 to advance to the semifinals.
The competition in this weight class remains challenging. Turkey’s Rıza Kayaalp, a multiple world and Olympic medalist, and Russia’s Sergey Semenov, a world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, are among the prominent wrestlers in Hedayati’s bracket.
Saravi Falls to Russian Opponent and Advances to Bronze-Medal Bout
Mohammad Hadi Saravi lost 5-1 to Russia’s Artur Sargsian, a world silver medalist, in the semifinals of the 97 kg weight class at the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships and advanced to the bronze-medal bout.
The captain of Iran’s national Greco-Roman wrestling team had delivered an impressive performance before the semifinal. After receiving a bye in the first round, he faced Armenia’s Khlouian in the second round and won 8-0.
Saravi then took on Germany’s Anton Vieweg in the quarterfinals and secured a 5-0 victory to reach the semifinals. To continue his pursuit of the title, the Iranian representative would have to overcome formidable opponents. Artur Sargsian, the world silver medalist, was among the leading contenders in his bracket.
Dabir Loses His Temper; Strong Protest After Saravi’s Painful Defeat
Mohammad Hadi Saravi’s semifinal defeat in the 97 kg weight class at the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships prompted a strong protest from Alireza Dabir. Saravi lost 5-1 to his Russian opponent in a bout in which he disputed several refereeing decisions.
Iran’s coaches also believed that points should have been awarded to Saravi on two occasions, but the jury reached a different conclusion after reviewing the incidents.
After the bout ended, Alireza Dabir, president of the Wrestling Federation, strongly protested the performance of the referees and the event organizers. For a few moments, the protest escalated into a confrontation and tension beside the wrestling mat.
Sohrabi Also Reaches Final After Defeating Russian Opponent
Danial Sohrabi defeated Russia’s Mingiyan Goryaev 9-0 in the semifinals of the 72 kg weight class at the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships to advance to the final.
After receiving a bye in the first round, Sohrabi faced Sweden’s Henrik Dahlin in the second round and secured a commanding 10-0 victory.
He also delivered an impressive performance in the quarterfinals against Kazakhstan’s Ismailov, winning 9-0 to reach the semifinals of the World Championships.
Azerbaijan’s Ulvu Ghani-Zadeh, a world champion, is among the prominent contenders in Sohrabi’s bracket, making the Iranian wrestler’s path to the final a serious test.
