BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (June 1) -- Two of Iran's biggest Greco-Roman stars got their preparations for the World Championships underway with gold medals.

Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) and Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) won the 97kg and 130kg weight classes respectively at the Kaba Uulu Kozhomkul & Raatbek Sanatbaev Ranking Series event in Bishkek on Monday.

Saravi, who has not competed since winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in September 2022, returned to the mat and powered himself to the top of the podium in a 25-2 rout of his opponents.

While he controlled all his bouts, the most significant win for Saravi was over compatriot Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI) in the semifinals. This also makes him the front-runner to represent Iran at the World Championships in Belgrade in September.

Balihamzehdeh was hoping to earn a place on the national team but his 7-1 loss to Saravi all but closes the doors for him.

In the final, Saravi was up against Yiming LI (CHN) and walked to a 3-1 win to clinch the gold. He got the turn from pat terre while Li failed to do the same which proved to be the difference between the two.

Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) defeated Oscar PINO (CUB) 2-1 in the final. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

Mirzazadeh, a world silver medalist, claimed two confidence-boosting wins, first over Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) who defeated him a year ago in Almaty and second over 2019 world silver medalist and Pan-American champion Oscar PINO (CUB) at 130kg.

After winning the Asian Championships last month, Mirzazadeh came into Bishkek with the same form and faced Yilidrim 4-1. Yildirim had beaten Mirzazadeh in Almaty in 2022 at the Bolat Turlykhanov Cup.

In a bout worthy of being a World Championships final, Pino began as the favorite in the final but as Mirzazadeh build pressure, he tired up and Mirzazadeh gained the upper hand. The two exchanged passivity but Mirzazadeh got an extra stepout to win the medal which has pushed him to the top of the rankings as well, replacing world and European champion Riza KAYAALP (TUR).

"I feel happy to win this gold," Mirzazadeh said. "I worked really hard for this competition. I will do the same to win the gold medal in Belgrade."

On winning against Pino, Mirzazadeh said that it is always difficult to win at 130kg.

"In my weight class, most are good wrestlers," he said. "But I train very hard for the Olympics. My weight has good wrestlers from Turkiye and Cuba but I am training really hard for the gold medal and I am the best."

Another young Iranian who shone in Bishkek was Daniel SHORABI (IRI) who won the 67kg. The U20 and U23 world champion wrestled Abror ATABAEV (UZB) in his first bout and came out on top 7-5. If he thought his next bout be an easier one, Joni KHETSURIANI (GEO) did not let that happen. Despite a barn-burner, it was Shorabi who won 6-5.

In the semifinal, Shorabi defeated Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ) 10-2 and booked a place in the final against HUSIYUETU (CHN) who blanked Olympic champion Luis ORTA (CUB) 9-0, his second win over the Cuban in four months. But Husiyuetu failed to hold up against Shorabi who won the gold medal after a dominating 8-2 win.

Uzbekistan emerged as the second-best team with two gold medals while Georgia and Kazakhstan won one gold each.

In 87kg and 60kg, Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) and Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) became the champions respectively.

Berdimuratov was up against Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) in the opening round and won 1-1 after getting the second activity point. He faced Melis AITBEKOV (KGZ) and won 9-0 before beating another Kyrgyzstan wrestler Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ) 8-0 in the semifinal.

In the final, Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO) did put up a fight against Berdimuratov but the Uzbekistan wrestler was strong enough to win 5-3 and capture his first gold medal at 87kg.

"This is my first gold medal in the new weight category," Berdimuratov said. "This medal gives me strength and self-confidence and now I will try to win gold in the next championships."

Berdimuratov has spent a major part of his career at 82kg and won a silver medalist at this weight class in Belgrade as well. But with Paris Olympics approaching, he switched to 87kg, an Olympic weight class.

"For me, this is a comfortable weight," he said. "I have prepared a lot for this weight and preparations are still going on. I lost earlier and now I have begun to win and believe in myself."

The Uzbekistan wrestler was performing at the new weight class at the Zagreb Ranking Series as well but he says that those were his early days at the weight.

"In Zagreb, I was not ready for this weight," he said. "But I continued to work on myself, then I placed third in Asia and now won here I won gold. I am not preparing for a certain wrestler. Whoever is in the draw, I will fight."

Bakhramov, a three-time Ranking Series gold medalist, added a fourth gold as he defeated Nursultan BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 6-0, in the final to give Uzbekistan its second gold medal of the night.

Uzbekistan could have won a third gold medal but world bronze medalist Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB) suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) at 55kg.

At 63kg, world silver medalist and European champion Leri ABULADZE (GEO) denied Uzbekistan another gold medal as he defeated Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB), 7-4 in the final.

RESULTS

55kg
GOLD: Marlan MUKASHEV (KAZ) df. Ikhtiyor BOTIROV (UZB), 4-2

BRONZE: MANJEET (IND) df. Yersin ABYIR (KAZ), 14-9
BRONZE: Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) df. Jasurbek ORTIKBOEV (UZB), 4-1

60kg
GOLD: Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) df. Nursultan BAZARBAYEV (KAZ), 6-0

BRONZE: Mehdi MOHSEN NEJAD (IRI) df. Aftandil TAALAIBEK UULU (KGZ), 8-0
BRONZE: Yernar FIDAKHMETOV (KAZ) df. Balbai DORDOKOV (KGZ), 11-6

63kg
GOLD: Leri ABULADZE (GEO) df. Shermukhammad SHARIBJANOV (UZB), 7-4

BRONZE: Dastan KADYROV (KGZ) df. Baiaman KARIMOV (KGZ), 9-0
BRONZE: Iman MOHAMMADI (IRI) df. Geminghan REHETI (CHN), 6-0

67kg
GOLD: Danial SOHRABI (IRI) df. HUSIYUETU (CHN), 8-2

BRONZE: Abror ATABAEV (UZB) df. Sultan ASSETULY (KAZ), 11-1
BRONZE: Luis ORTA (CUB) df. Mahmud BAKHSHILLOEV (UZB), 7-1

87kg
GOLD: Jalgasbay BERDIMURATOV (UZB) df. Gurami KHETSURIANI (GEO), 5-3

BRONZE: Nursultan TURSYNOV (KAZ) df. Azat SALIDINOV (KGZ), via inj. def.
BRONZE: Ali CENGIZ (TUR) df. Azamat KUSTUBAYEV (KAZ), 1-1

97kg
GOLD: Mohammadhadi SARAVI (IRI) df. Yiming LI (CHN), 3-1

BRONZE: Beksultan MAKHMUDOV (KGZ) df. Zhantas NURGALI (KAZ), 3-1,
BRONZE: Artur OMAROV (CZE) df. Mehdi BALIHAMZEHDEH (IRI), 5-1

130kg
GOLD: Amin MIRZAZADEH (IRI) df. Oscar PINO (CUB), 2-1

BRONZE: Fatih BOZKURT (TUR) df. Sulkhan BUIDZE (GEO), 9-0
BRONZE: Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) df. Alin ALEXUC CIURARIU (ROU), via walkover