News / Sports

Iran women’s team ranks first in Belarus Alysh wrestling cup

Sunday, 20 December 2015 2:19 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 20 December 2015 2:19 PM ]

The Iranian women’s national Alysh wrestling team poses for a photograph after winning the title of an 8-nation tournament in Minsk, Belarus, December 19, 2015.

The Iranian women’s national Alysh wrestling team has been crowned the champion of an 8-nation international tournament in Belarus.

On Saturday, the Iranian team finished in the first place at the end of the competitions in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, wining one gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

Somayyeh Heidari recorded impressive performances in the 60-kilogram, and clinched the gold medal of the weight division. She prevailed over a Russian athlete in her first contest, before downing a representative from the host nation in the next bout and progressing to the final. Heidari overwhelmed another competitor by technical fall in her last encounter and stood atop the podium.

In the 70-kilogram weight category, Ezzat Ghorbani overwhelmed a Belarusian wrestler and advanced to the final round, where she lost to a Polish sportswoman and received the silver.

Saeedeh Rahimi, Iran’s representative in the over 75-kilogram class, also suffered defeat against her Serbian opponent in the final bout, and received the silver medal.

Moreover, Yeganeh Gharibgashteh and Maryam Ahmadi settled for bronze in the 55-kilogram and 75-kilogram weight categories respectively.

The international alysh wrestling tournament in Belarus was held on December 20. The event brought together dozens of wrestlers from eight countries, including Estonia, Iran, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine.

Alysh is an upright wrestling style. Competitors wear trousers, jackets and belts, and must hold on to their opponents’ belts at all times. Their objective is to throw their rivals onto the mat. Throws are given scores between 1 and 6, and the first player to win 6 points wins the match. The sport is regulated by International Federation of Wrestling of Belts “Alysh” (IFWBA).

Alysh has a centuries-old history in Iran, and is practiced in the country’s northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran, as well as southwestern Khuzestan Province and central-north Semnan Province.

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