World Wrestling Championships 2025: Zare clinches gold, Javan settles for silver

Iranian freestyle wrestlers secured three medals on day two of the 2025 World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb on Sunday, including gold in the heavyweight category.

Amirhossein Zare dominated the 125kg final at the prestigious event, defeating Azerbaijan’s Giorgi Meshvildishvili 5-0 to claim the title.

It marked Zare’s third world title in the heavyweight division, apart from Olympic medals.

After a first-round bye, he overpowered Yanovan Smith of Puerto Rico 11–0 in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he once again displayed sublime skill and physical superiority, shutting out Solomon Manashvili of Georgia 10-0 to reach the semifinals.

Against Shamil Sharifov of Bahrain in the semifinal, Zare controlled the bout with composure and precise technique, earning a 7-3 victory to advance to the final.

Following his historic win, Zare saluted the Iranian flag and dedicated his gold medal to the people of Iran and the martyrs of the recent 12-day imposed war.

Ahmad Mohammadnejad Javan also delivered an impressive performance, claiming silver at 61kg in his debut world championship.

After defeating opponents from Ecuador, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and North Korea, he fell to Olympic champion Zaur Uguev of Russia in the final, settling for silver – his first world medal.

Javan opened with a commanding 13-2 win over Joshua Kramer of Ecuador, followed by a 5-2 victory against Nuraddin Nurozov of Azerbaijan.

In the quarterfinals, he outwrestled Kamil Krymov of Ukraine 8–4 to book a place in the semifinals. His semifinal clash with Kom Hyok Kim of North Korea was a tense battle, but Javan edged out a 3-2 victory to advance to the gold-medal match.

Meanwhile, Iran’s 86kg freestyle wrestler Kamran Ghasempour clinched a bronze medal with a dominant 10-0 win over his Indian opponent.

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