UWW Hails Iran’s Greco-Roman Wrestling World Title
WANA (Sep 22) – United World Wrestling (UWW) has praised Iran’s commanding victory at the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships, highlighting the impressive debut performance of Saeid Esmaeili in the 67kg category.
According to UWW, Iran secured the team title with 180 points—nearly twice as many as the runner-up—marking the first time in history the country has simultaneously won world titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. The Iranian squad finished with four gold medals and a total of eight medals. Azerbaijan claimed second place with 89 points, followed by Uzbekistan with 72 points.
The federation singled out Esmaeili’s performance, noting that no opponent managed to defeat him. With four straight technical victories, he stormed into the final, where he delivered a calculated 2–1 win over Hest Jafarov to secure gold in his first senior world championship.
“Anyone who reaches the final is a tough opponent, but I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks,” Esmaeili said after his victory. “We had a clear plan for success, and thankfully, it worked.”
UWW also highlighted Esmaeili’s remarkable consistency in recent years, pointing out that since 2021 he has suffered only one defeat—against Cuba’s Luis Orta in the semifinals of the Budapest Ranking Series in June 2024. His honors include back-to-back Asian titles in 2024 and 2025, as well as gold medals at the U17 and U20 World Championships. Having already secured Olympic gold, the only title missing from his “Golden Grand Slam” is the U23 World Championship.
Reflecting on his achievement, Esmaeili said: “This was my first time competing at the senior world championships. I had already won Olympic gold, but this victory was just as important. I wanted to prove that my Olympic title wasn’t a one-time success—and today I did that.”
Iran’s triumph further cements its position as the global powerhouse of Greco-Roman wrestling.
United World Wrestling poster released on the occasion of Iran’s Greco-Roman wrestling team winning the World Championships. Social media / WANA News Agency
