Arguably the toughest match Fardin Hedayati of Iran had on the path to the gold medal in his senior World Championships debut came four months earlier and over 2,600 kilometers away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was when he defeated reigning world champion and compatriot Amin Mirzazaseh in a domestic playoff to make Iran\u2019s team to Astana, where he would rampage to the Greco-Roman 130kg title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hedayati followed Mirzazadeh as world champion with a quicksilver 8-0 rout of Darius Vitek of Hungary in the final on Monday, when three Greco-Roman titles were decided at the World Championships in Astana\u2019s Barys Arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo win the most precious medal, the gold, in my very first senior World Championships is incredible, and it brings me such joy to make my fellow countrymen happy,\u201d Hedayati said. \u201cSeeing my dear compatriots happy means the world to me. It\u2019s worth even more than a World or Olympic gold medal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two returning bronze medalists stepped up to the top of the medal podium by taking the other golds at stake, as Danial Sohrabi of Iran prevailed at 72kg in another Iran-Hungary matchup and Kiryl Maskevich of Belarus became Belarus’ third-ever Greco-Roman title with a hard-earned victory at 97kg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran, with three champions and potentially two more on Tuesday when the final Greco-Roman medals are awarded, has already clinched the team title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing personified Iran\u2019s dominance more than the devastation that Hedayati left behind in his wake in adding the senior world gold to his world U20 title in 2023 and world U23 crowns in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hedayati won all four of his matches by technical superiority, all without conceding a point and all within the first period. His total time spent on the mat was 6:58, just a bit more than one match\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the final, Hedayati continually kept the pressure on Vitek, rapidly stringing together a series of point-producing moves. A stepout was followed by a takedown, a two-point tilt and a gut wrench for a 7-0 lead before either could break a sweat. The gold-clinching stepout came just 42 seconds after the match started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To get to Astana, Hedayati first had to get over the man-mountain of two-time world champion and Paris Olympic bronze medalist Mirzazadeh. A year ago, Mirzazadeh defeated Vitek 7-2 for the world gold in Zagreb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHedayati is more explosive,\u201d Vitek said when asked to compare the two Iranian champions. \u201cI tried to prepare for this, but he was better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the team selection playoff in June in Kerman, Iran, Hedayati got the best of Mirzazadeh with a 5-1 victory in the first of what was supposed to be a best-of-three series. Mirzazadeh opted to forgo the remaining matches, symbolically handing the baton to Hedayati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether he can ever get it back again remains to be seen. Emboldened by his triumph, Hedayati is now determined to put in the hard work that will reap even bigger rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWrestling is a sport where there are no fixed limits or records,\u201d Hedayati said. \u201cMy task has become harder today compared to yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t have a senior world championships gold medal, but now I\u2019ve secured one. It\u2019s going to require a tremendous amount of effort. From this point forward, I am fully committed to continuing on this path, with the aim of winning multiple world and Olympic medals, all through hard work and dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 72kg final, Sohrabi grinded out a 4-0 victory over Krisztian Vancza of Hungary to add the world title to his Asian gold from 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOver the past year, the only thing on my mind was winning the world gold medal,\u201d Sohrabi said. \u201cEvery single day, I would write down: \u2018I must win the world gold medal.\u2019 I wrote it down every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThankfully, through the kind prayers of the people, I was able to win the gold and bring happiness to my dear fellow countrymen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sohrabi, getting the first and only chance of the match on top in par terre, was unable to turn Vancza, but managed get a stepout to take a 2-0 lead into the break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the second period, Sohrabi charged in for a bear hug, then maneuvered Vancza to the mat for a takedown that would conclude the scoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The victory was repeat of Sohrabi\u2019s 6-1 win over Vancza, the 2022 European silver medalist at 67kg, in the semifinals at the Zagreb Ranking Series in February 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 97kg, Maskevich defeated fellow two-time world medalist Artur Sargsian of Russia, 7-1 in an untidy final that turned on a singlet-grabbing penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had two World Championship medals to my name, but today was the first time I\u2019ve actually stood on the top step of the podium. It\u2019s an unforgettable feeling,\u201d Maskevich said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe very thing I\u2019m always chasing and I couldn\u2019t be happier. Honestly, we\u2019ve really missed hearing our national anthem. It\u2019s doubly rewarding to hear it now, especially while standing on the podium myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After conceding a passivity point in the first period, Maskevich got his chance on top in par terre in the second. While Sargsian kept from being turned, he was flagged for grabbing the singlet, a two-point penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sargsian got another chance in par terre with a minute left, but was unable to budge Maskevich, and his desperation flying squirrel in the final seconds only opened the door for Maskevich to add four more points to his tally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA final match is, in many ways, a battle of the mind, and today, I had the edge in that regard,\u201d Maskevich said. \u201cAt this level, wrestlers are all fairly evenly matched technically, which is why, as I said, psychology plays such a decisive role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Maskevich, the win avenged a 4-1 loss to Sargsian in the bronze-medal match at this year\u2019s European Championships in April. That came two months after they had both advanced to the final at the Tirana Ranking Series, but Maskevich defaulted due to injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maskevich won his first world medal at 87kg, a silver in 2021, and feels confident about his transition to the higher weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve only recently moved up to 97kg weight class,\u201d he said. \u201cLast year was my first in this new category, and I managed to reach the podium and take bronze. This year, everything came together, and I won.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maskevich gave Belarus its third world gold after the two won by Alim Selimov of Belarus at 84kg in 2005 and 2011. Overall across all three styles, it was the country\u2019s seventh since gaining independence in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the bronze-medal matches, dethroned 97kg champion Hadi Saravi of Iran bounced back from his devastating semifinal loss to Sargsian by earning his fourth career medal, although it didn\u2019t come that easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saravi combined a passivity point in the first period with a go-behind takedown in the second to edge veteran Alex Kessidis of Sweden 3-0 to add to his 2021 and 2025 world golds and 2023 bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His victory came a day after two other dethroned champions, Vakhtang Lolua of Georgia at 55kg and Aidos Sultangali of Kazakhstan at 60kg, won bronze medals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saravi, the Paris Olympic champion and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist, won a third straight Asian title and fourth overall earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 31-year-old Kessidis was competing in his fourth different weight class at the World Championships. He has a silver medal from the last time Astana hosted the worlds in 2019 — seven years and 20 kilograms ago at 77kg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the other 97kg match, Kiril Milov of Bulgaria won his second straight bronze and third world medal overall, pulling off a sleek, twisting 4-point move to finish up a 10-0 victory over Markus Ragginger of Austria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Milov stormed to a 5-0 with two gut wrenches off par terre in the first period. In the second, Ragginger seemed on the verge of getting behind in standing position when Milov latched onto a wrist and twisted him onto his back for 4 at 3:24. An unsuccessful challenge added the 10th point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 130kg, the two bronze medalists from 2025 were both looking to make it two in a row, and while Pavel Hlinchuk of Belarus managed to repeat, Matti Kuosmanen of Finland went down to somewhat suspect defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hlinchuk, also a European bronze medalist, got a gut wrench from par terre in the first period, and that made the difference in a 3-1 win over Asian silver medalist Rafael Tsitsuashvili of Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuosmanen went down to a 9-4 defeat to Asian bronze medalist Jiang Wenhao of China, whose receiving of a 2-point penalty for head butt in the second period changed the complexion of the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuosmanen took a 4-2 lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns that bookended a precarious situation, when Jiang stepped over on a roll attempt for 2 and momentarily had a fall situation before the Finn extricated himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the second period, Kuosmanen was assessed the penalty, with an unsuccessful challenge putting him behind 5-4. In a show of surprising agility in the final seconds, Kuosmanen leapt high for a flying squirrel, only to be dumped unceremoniously to the mat for 4 to secure the win for Jiang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 72kg, Amantur Ismailov of Kyrgyzstan added to the bronze he won at 67kg in 2021, overwhelming Mingiian Goriaev of Russia 10-0 in 1:41. After a two-point arm throw to get started, Ismailov made the most of being on top in par terre, muscling Goriaev over for a 2-point exposure, then ending the match with five-point lift and dump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
European silver medalist Iuri Lomadze of Georgia held off a late charge from two-time Olympic 67kg medalist Parviz Nasibov of Ukrain to take home the other 72kg bronze with a 7-4 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lomadze looked to be complete control when he scored a 4-point throw from par terre in the first period and added a takedown to lead 7-0 in the second. Nasibov, however, was not quite done, scoring a takedown and two-point tilt to cut the gap to three points. But that was as close as he would get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Greco-Roman<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 72kg (27 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Iuri LOMADZE (GEO) df. Parviz NASIBOV (UKR), 7-4 97kg (28 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Kiril MILOV (BUL) df. Markus RAGGINGER (AUT) by TS, 10-0, 3:24 130kg (26 entries)<\/strong> BRONZE: Pavel HLINCHUK (BLR) df. Rafael TSITSUASHVILI (UZB), 3-1 Arguably the toughest match Fardin Hedayati of Iran had on the path to the gold medal in his<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-17108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-wrestling"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. Krisztian VANCZA (HUN), 4-0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Amantur ISMAILOV (KGZ) df. Mingiian GORIAEV (RUS) by TS, 10-0, 1:41<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Kiryl MASKEVICH (BLR) df. Artur SARGSIAN (RUS), 7-1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Hadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Alex KESSIDIS (SWE), 3-0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GOLD: Fardin HEDAYATI (IRI) df. Darius VITEK (HUN) by TS, 8-0, :42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRONZE: Wenhao JIANG (CHN) df. Matti KUOSMANEN (FIN), 9-4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"