WANA (Sep 20) – Iran is on the verge of achieving a rare milestone in the history of world wrestling. After the national freestyle team’s dominant triumph at the World Championships in Croatia, the Greco-Roman squad is now only a few steps away from replicating that success.
The Iranian Greco-Roman wrestling team clinched the World Championship title early, even before the end of the second day of the tournament, securing 2 gold medals, 1 silver, Alireza Abdoli’s fifth-place finish, one finalist (Hadi Saravi), three quarterfinalists (Esmaeili, Mohammadi, and Keshtkar), and one wrestler in the classification round (Sohrabi).
Gholamreza Farrokhi. Social media / WANA News Agency
With a confirmed total of 110 points, Iran secured the championship well in advance, regardless of the outcomes of the remaining matches.
By the end of the first four weight categories, Iran’s Greco-Roman team had already secured two gold medals and one silver, firmly placing itself at the top of the standings. In the following three categories, Iranian wrestlers remain in contention for another gold and a bronze. With the final three weight classes now underway, an early championship for Iran appears almost certain—barring any major surprises.
Mohammad Mahdi Keshtkar. Social Media / WANA News Agency
If confirmed, this will mark only the second world title in the history of Iranian Greco-Roman wrestling, following the team’s first-ever triumph at the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent.
On opening night, Gholamreza Farrokhi (82kg) delivered a flawless campaign that had the arena buzzing. After dismantling rivals from China and Hungary with identical 9–0 scores, he blew past a Swiss wrestler in under a minute. His semifinal against Croatia’s Karlo Kudric silenced the home crowd with a commanding 7–1 win.
After winning Iran’s first Greco-Roman wrestling gold medal at the World Championships in Croatia, Gholamreza Farrokhi first bowed to the Iranian flag and then took a victory lap. Social media / WANA News Agency
In the final, Farrokhi locked down Georgia’s Bolkvadze 4–0, bowing to the Iranian flag before taking an emotional victory lap as chants of “Iran, Iran” echoed through the stands. His performance was more than a gold medal — it was a statement of dominance.
Heavyweight Amin Mirzazadeh (130kg) added further glory. He stormed past Croatia’s Marco Kosovic 8–0, pulled off a dramatic pin against Finland’s Kasmanne in a nail-biting 4–3 match, and then controlled China’s Jiang 3–1 in the semis.
Team Standings – Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships (One Day Before the End of the Competition), Iran secures the title early and tops the standings. Social media / WANA News Agency
The final against Hungary’s Dariusz Vitek turned into a showcase of sheer power: a 7–2 triumph that underscored Iran’s strength on the global stage. Mirzazadeh’s thunderous celebration after the whistle — fists raised, tears streaming — instantly went viral across Persian sports media.
In the 55kg division, teenage sensation Peyman Ahmadi — fresh off his World Junior gold — stole headlines again. After dispatching opponents from Kyrgyzstan and Moldova, he stunned reigning European champion Eldeniz Azizli of Azerbaijan with a breathtaking suplex in the semifinals. The final against Georgia’s Lelua was a heart-stopper. Ahmadi rallied late but fell just short, 9–7. His silver, however, carried the weight of promise: a rising star bridging Iran’s new generation with its storied Greco-Roman tradition.
Peyman Ahmadi’s Stunning Suplex at the World Championships. Social media / WANA News Agency
Elsewhere, Alireza Abdoli (77kg) battled his way to the semifinals before finishing fifth, adding depth to Iran’s overall campaign. By the end of the first day, Iran had pocketed two golds and one silver — enough to seize early control of the team standings.
Iran has now become the second country, after Russia, to win both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman World Wrestling Championships in the same year.
But beyond the medals, the bigger storyline looms: Iran walks away from Croatia with something unprecedented — simultaneous world titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. For a nation where wrestling is more than a sport — a cultural identity, a symbol of resilience — such a double triumph would etch 2025 into the history books as the year Iranian wrestling conquered the world.
United World Wrestling poster released on the occasion of Iran’s Greco-Roman wrestling team winning the World Championships. Social media / WANA News Agency