Iran won two gold medals at the 2026 U20 World Wrestling Championships in Bratislava, with Sina Khalili and Abolfazl Mohammad Nezhad claiming titles in the 70kg and 125kg freestyle categories.
The Iranian team finished fourth in the men’s freestyle standings with 103 points, collecting two gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the championships in Slovakia.
The U20 World Championships were held in Bratislava from Aug. 20 to 23. United World Wrestling identified Khalili, Abolfazl Rahmani and Mohammad Nezhad among Iran’s leading gold-medal contenders before the freestyle competition began.
Khalili delivered on those expectations in the 70kg division. After receiving a bye in the opening round, he defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Zalkarbek Tabaldiev 10-0 before overcoming Türkiye’s Remzi Temur 5-1 in the quarterfinals.
The Iranian then edged US wrestler Landon Robideau 3-2 in the semifinals to book his place in the final. In the gold-medal bout, Khalili defeated Azerbaijan’s Haji Karimov 7-3 to secure the first of Iran’s two titles.
🤼🏅Sina Khalili strikes gold
Iran’s Sina Khalili defeated Azerbaijan’s Karmyov 7–3 in the 70kg final at the World Junior Wrestling Championships to claim the world title.
After securing the gold medal, Khalili celebrated by chanting the name of Imam Reza (AS).@presstvsports pic.twitter.com/stTPBlrw09
— Press TV Sports (@presstvsports) August 23, 2026
Mohammad Nezhad followed with another gold at 125kg, giving Iran its second championship title.
The Iranian heavyweight opened his campaign with a 10-0 victory over Russia’s Soslan Gabuev. He then beat Ukraine’s Ruslan Prokopov 11-0 in the quarterfinals before defeating Armenia’s Henrik Haykyan 10-3 in the semifinals.
Mohammad Nezhad then defeated American Dreshaun Ross 5-3 in the final to complete Iran’s two-gold haul.
🤼🏅Mohammadnejad wins second gold for Iran
Abolfazl Mohammadnejad defeated his American opponent 5-3 in the 125kg final at the World Junior Wrestling Championships to claim the world title.
The victory came in front of American legendary wrestler David Taylor.@presstvsports pic.twitter.com/HsPS6fgeNv
— Press TV Sports (@presstvsports) August 23, 2026
Iran also reached the 92kg final through Abolfazl Rahmani. He advanced with victories over Japan’s Hisashi Konishi and Belarus’ Alan Tsagaraev before beating Romania’s Darius Sas 11-0 in the semifinals. Rahmani Firouzjaei eventually settled for silver after facing Georgia’s Sandro Kurashvili in the final.
Iran’s other medal came from Ahora Khateri, who won bronze at 61kg. His medal helped complete Iran’s four-medal haul in the freestyle competition.
The results left the United States at the top of the team standings with 205 points, followed by Russia on 155. Japan and Iran both finished on 103 points, with Japan taking third place and Iran fourth. Kazakhstan was fifth with 82 points.
The U20 World Wrestling Championships brought together the leading junior wrestlers from around the world in Bratislava, with the freestyle competition forming part of a wider championship featuring men’s freestyle, women’s wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling.
