Iran Press/Iran news: Iran's National Wrestling team, with a 9-1 win over Mongolia, will now face US as the defender of 2018 championship title.
2019 Freestyle World Cup is hosted by Russia and is taking place in Yakutsk in Siberia, Iran Press reported.
In the competition, Iran is led by two-time Olympic medalist Komeil Ghasemi at 125 kg. Ghasemi claimed the 2012 Olympic bronze medal, as well as the Olympic silver medal in 2016. He also owns a World silver medal from the 2014 Senior World Championships, as well as a pair of Junior World bronzes from 2007 and 2008.
Iran's National Wrestling has submitted two potential wrestlers at three different weights—92 kg, 97 kg and 125 kg.
Also set to compete at 125 kg is Amin Taheri, who is a 2017 and 2018 U23 World bronze winner, a 2017 World Military bronze medalist and a two-time World Junior silver medalist.
The two wrestlers competing at 92 kg are 2016 Junior World champion and 2018 U23 World bronze medalist Hossein Shahbazigazvar as well as 2012 Junior World champion and 2016 University World champion Mohammad Ebrahimizivlaei, while the two competing at 97 kg include 2018 U23 World bronze medalist Ali Shabanibengar and Alireza Goodarzi.
Other World medalists for Iran include two-time Junior World champion Iman Sadeghikoukandeh at 61 kg, two-time University World champion Reza Afzalipaemami at 74 kg and 2015 Cadet World bronze medalist Mojtaba Asghari Osmavandani at 79 kg.
Iran is listed in Group B with United States, Georgia and Mongolia.
Last year, the United States captured its first World Cup title in 15 years last April in Iowa City, where the Americans defeated the Republic of Azerbaijan in the championship final.
Freestyle Wrestling giants Russia and Iran, which had won the previous six men’s freestyle World Cup titles, were absent from last year’s tournament. 101/211/205
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