According to “Varzesh3”, in the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan, Fardin Hedayati has continued his path powerfully in the 130 kg weight class and is now only two steps away from reaching the gold medal. Iran’s heavyweight representative defeated Frederikas of Lithuania 4-0 in the first round and, with an 8-0 victory over Sirlibay of Kazakhstan in the second round, reached the quarterfinals. Hedayati also had a commanding performance at this stage and defeated Jiang of China 9-0 to reach the semifinals; where he must fight Elias Kuosmanen of Finland to reach the final.

But the strange incident of this weight class occurred in the quarterfinals; where Kuosmanen succeeded in producing one of the great surprises of the tournament and defeating Riza Kayaalp, the legend of Turkish Greco-Roman wrestling, 5-3. Kayaalp, who is one of the most decorated figures in the history of world Greco-Roman wrestling and a five-time world champion, was previously considered one of the main contenders for the gold medal, and many expected that on the path to the championship he would be Fardin Hedayati’s main rival.

With this unexpected defeat, the equations of the 130 kg weight class changed, and now it is this Finnish wrestler who, after eliminating Kayaalp, will stand before Iran’s representative. Hedayati, who has so far reached the semifinals without dropping even a single point in his first three bouts, must now face an opponent who has gained high confidence by eliminating one of the greats of world wrestling. The duel with Kuosmanen could be the decisive step for Iran’s heavyweight to reach the final and come closer to the world gold medal.

Source: Varzesh3