Junior Asian Championships

Iran Collects 3 Freestyle Golds on Saturday at Junior Asian C'ships

By United World Wrestling Press

CHON BURI, Thailand (July 13) - Iran started the freestyle competition at the Junior Asian Championships with a bang, collecting three of the five gold medals on Saturday. 

Earlier in the week, Iran ran away with the team title in Greco-Roman on the strength of seven champions. Now the Iranians are in prime position to win the freestyle title heading into the final day.

Iran's freestyle gold medalists on Saturday were Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (70kg), Abdollah SHEIKHAZAMI (79kg) and Alireza REKABI (97kg).

Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) registered a 10-1 win in the finals. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Firouzpourbandpei earned his gold medal with a 10-1 victory in the 70kg finals over Sangho HAN (KOR). 

Sheikhazami rolled to a 10-0 technical superiority in the finals at 79kg over Tanggesi TANGGESI (CHN).

Alireza REKABI (IRI) won by 10-0 technical superiority in the finals at 97kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Iran's third gold medalist on Saturday, Rekabi, dominated in the finals at 97kg, winning 10-0 over Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM).

Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) improved on his silver-medal performance from a year ago. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ), a returning junior world bronze medalist, earned gold at 65kg after finishing with a silver in last year's Junior Asian Championships. 

Yuto TAKESHITA (JPN) finished on top at 57kg. (Photo: Sachiko Hotaka)

Japan crowned a champion at 57kg as Yuto TAKESHITA topped Vijay Bajirao PATIL 7-4 in the gold-medal match. 

The Junior Asian Championships wrap up on Sunday with the final five freestyle weight categories: 61kg, 74kg, 86kg, 92kg and 125kg. Action is set to begin at 10 a.m. local time.

RESULTS

Freestyle

57kg    
GOLD - Yuto TAKESHITA (JPN) df. Vijay Bajirao PATIL (IND), 7-4
BRONZE - Hyeonsu CHO (KOR) df. Narankhuu NARMANDAKH (MGL), 14-4
BRONZE - Taiyrbek ZHUMASHBEK UULU (KGZ) df. Abzal OKENOV (KAZ), 6 - 2

65kg
GOLD - Syrbaz TALGAT (KAZ) df. Alireza ASHKIVAR (IRI), 4-4
BRONZE - Bobur ISLOMOV (UZB) df. Sunny SUNNY (IND), 5-4
BRONZE - Taiki TSUTSUMI (JPN) df. Injong HWANG (KOR), 8-1

70kg
GOLD - Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) df. Sangho HAN (KOR), 10-1
BRONZE - Ayumu SUZUKI (JPN) df. Vishal KALIRAMANA (IND), 6-3
BRONZE - Mirkamol BESHIMOV (UZB) df. Parinya CHAMNANJAN (THA), FALL

79kg
GOLD - Abdollah SHEIKHAZAMI (IRI) df. Tanggesi TANGGESI (CHN), 10-0
BRONZE - Sandeep Singh MANN (IND) df. Tilek KABYKENOV (KAZ), 13-8
BRONZE - Shoto KANEKO (JPN) df. Daehyun NAM (KOR), INJURY

97kg
GOLD - Alireza REKABI (IRI) df. Zyyamuhammet SAPAROV (TKM), 10-0
BRONZE - Akash ANTIL (IND) df. Reheman RUSIDANMU (CHN), 12-2
BRONZE - Arslanbek TURDUBEKOV (KGZ) df. Haroon ABID (PAK), 12-1
 

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UWW Top Ranked Wrestlers of 2025: Verbina, Komarov, Aoyagi

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 17) -- United World Wrestling has announced the three Best Ranked Wrestlers in 2025. The three wrestlers earned the most ranking points in the year 2025.

The most ranking points in the year 2025 were earned by world champion Aleksandr KOMAROV (SRB) in Greco-Roman as he scored 83,500 points. In Women's Wrestling, world silver medalist Ekaterina VERBINA (UWW) was the highest ranked wrestler as she earned 64,200 points.

In Freestyle, world champion Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) earned 76,900 points, the best among all wrestlers.

Verbina: Women's 55kg

Verbina may not have won the gold medal at the World Championships but she had a busy year, wrestling more often than others. That earned her more ranking points than many as she finished at the top of the rankings in Women's Wrestling.

Her first competition was the Zagreb Open Ranking Series in which she finished fifth for just 4,000 points. In the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in Tirana, Albania where she finished with a bronze medal that earned her 5,2000 points. She added 10,000 points for her gold medal at the European Championships. Another gold, at the Budapest Ranking Series, added 8,000 points.

Verbina entered the World Championships with 27,200 points. She jumped ahead of many with 37,000 points for her silver medal at 55kg. Her total went up to 64,200 points, taking her past the likes of world champions Sakura ONISHI (JPN) and Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN). Both finished 1,200 points less than Verbina.

Komarov: Greco 87kg

Komarov began his season with the Zagreb Open Ranking Series and finished fifth, giving him 9,000 points. A similar result at the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series gave him 9,000 points.

A big boost came at the European Championships in which Komarov won a bronze medal at 87kg to earn 11,500 points. In June, another fifth place finish at the Budapest Ranking Series added 9,000 points to his name to take the total to 38,500 points before the World Championships.

In Zagreb at the Worlds, Komarov won the gold medal and earned a stunning 45,000 points to 83,500 points, the most among all wrestlers and 13,780 points more than second most -- Aytjan KHALMAKHANOV (UZB).

Aoyagi: Freestyle 70kg

World champion was the top ranked freestyle wrestler with 76,900 points, 9,600 points more than the second place wrestler.

His first competition was the Muhamet Malo Ranking Series in which he bagged the gold medal to earn 11,000 points. He then added a bronze medal at the Asian Championships and earned 9,500 points for the same.

The Budapest Ranking Series gold gave him another 11,000 points, taking his total to 31,500 points before the World Championships. He became a world champion in Zagreb and that gold medal was worth 45,000 points, sending his total to 76,500 points.

Tajmuraz SALKAZANOV (SVK), with 66,900 points, is the second-best wrestler, 9,600 points less than Aoyagi.