Wrestling worlds: Iran clinch Greco-Roman team title in Astana as Hedayati wins 130kg in 42 seconds
Iran sealed the Greco-Roman team crown at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana, with three more finals on Tuesday and women's wrestling under way.
Iran have wrapped up the Greco-Roman team title at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, after winning two of the three finals on Monday, 26 October. With three Greco-Roman weights still to be decided on Tuesday and the women's competition starting the same day, the championships are in progress at the Barys Arena and run until Sunday, 1 November.
Hedayati's 42-second final
The quickest gold of the week so far went to Iran's Fardin Hedayati at 130kg. He beat Hungary's Darius Vitek 8-0 by technical superiority, sealing the win just 42 seconds into the final. United World Wrestling noted that he succeeds his compatriot Amin Mirzazadeh as world heavyweight champion. Belarus's Pavel Glinchuk and China's Jiang Wenhao took bronze.
Iran's other Monday gold came at 72kg, where Danial Sohrabi shut out Hungary's Krisztian Vancza 4-0. Georgia's Iuri Lomadze and Kyrgyzstan's Amantur Ismailov won bronze.
At 97kg, Belarus's Kiryl Maskevich beat Russia's Artur Sargsian 7-1 in the final. Sargsian had knocked out Olympic champion Mohammadhadi Saravi of Iran in the semi-finals; Saravi recovered to take bronze, alongside Bulgaria's Kiril Milov.
How the first golds were shared
The first four Greco-Roman titles were decided on Sunday. Azerbaijan won two through Eldaniz Azizli at 55kg, who beat Iran's Payam Ahmadi 3-1, and Sanan Suleymanov at 77kg, who defeated Moldova's Alexandrin Gutu. Japan's Koto Gomi took 60kg by pinning Iran's Ali Ahmadi Vafa, who had been leading the final, and Iran's Gholamreza Farrokhi won 82kg against Turkey's Yuksel Saricicek, his second world title.
That left Iran with three golds after Monday and enough team points to make the title safe with a day to spare.
Tuesday's Greco-Roman finals
Three more finals close the Greco-Roman programme on Tuesday, 27 October, and Iran have two more chances of gold:
- 63kg: Nihat Mammadli (Azerbaijan) v Karen Aslanyan (Armenia)
- 67kg: Saeid Esmaeili Leivesi (Iran) v Aitzhan Khalmakhanov (Uzbekistan)
- 87kg: Semen Novikov (Bulgaria) v Alireza Mohmadipiani (Iran)
Mammadli reached the final by beating Russia's Sergey Emelin on criteria after a 2-2 bout, while Mohmadipiani crushed Armenia's Gevorg Tadevosyan 10-1 in his semi-final.
The championships schedule lists the finals session from 18:00 to 20:00 Astana time, which is 9pm to 11pm in Malaysia.
What comes next
Women's wrestling starts on Tuesday with the 50kg, 57kg, 65kg and 76kg categories, whose finals are on Wednesday. Freestyle begins on Thursday, 29 October, and the championships close with the last four freestyle finals on 1 November. More than 790 wrestlers from 90 countries are entered, making this Kazakhstan's second time hosting the event after 2019.
Key takeaways
- Iran have clinched the 2026 Greco-Roman world team title in Astana.
- Fardin Hedayati won 130kg gold in 42 seconds; Danial Sohrabi won 72kg and Kiryl Maskevich 97kg.
- Tuesday's finals are 63kg, 67kg and 87kg, with two Iranians involved.
- Women's wrestling starts Tuesday and freestyle on Thursday; the event ends on 1 November.
FAQ
Where are the 2026 World Wrestling Championships being held? At the Barys Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 24 October to 1 November.
What time are the finals in Malaysia? The finals session is scheduled for 18:00 to 20:00 local time, which is 9pm to 11pm in Malaysia.
How many Greco-Roman golds have Iran won so far? Three: Farrokhi at 82kg, Sohrabi at 72kg and Hedayati at 130kg, with two more Iranians in Tuesday's finals.
Sources: United World Wrestling, Sportaran, Tehran Times, Wikipedia