Paris 2024 Olympics: Iran’s medal prospects in wrestling, weightlifting and taekwondo

By Alireza Akbari

In the first week of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Iranian athletes fell short of making it to the podium. Now all eyes are on Iran’s wrestling squad as well as weightlifters and martial artists.

Among the participating countries in the marquee sports event is the Islamic Republic of Iran, represented by 40 athletes, including 29 men and 11 women, in 13 different disciplines.

In the Tokyo Olympics, the Iranian team’s performance in wrestling, weightlifting and taekwondo was the most impressive, bringing home a total of seven medals, including three gold.

Davood Bagheri, the former deputy head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Weightlifting Federation, in a conversation with the Press TV website, pointed to Iran’s strong track record in wrestling and weightlifting in the Olympic Games.

"Wrestling has historically been our most successful sport, contributing 47 medals to our Olympic tally, with weightlifting coming in next and adding another 20," Bagheri stated.

Taekwondo has also brought home 6 medals while shooting and karate have each secured one.

With key competitions still ahead, Iranian sports fans remain optimistic about the country’s medal prospects at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Wrestling

Iran made its Olympic debut in freestyle wrestling at the 1948 London Games, and ever since the immensely popular sport has been a cornerstone of the country’s Olympic success.

The 2012 London Olympics marked a historic high point for Iranian wrestling when the team secured an impressive haul of 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

The 1956 Melbourne Olympics saw another standout performance from Iranian athletes, with wrestlers bringing home 2 gold and 2 silver medals, making it the second most successful performance.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics saw the Iranian team bagging 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, wrestling competitions will start on Monday, July 5, and will be held at the 10,000 square meter Champ-de-Mars Arena in the French capital.

Iranian wrestler Mehdi Mohsen Nejad, competing in the 60 kg Greco-Roman category, will be the first to represent his country when he takes to the mat on August 5.

Among Iran's six Greco-Roman wrestlers at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Amin Mirzazadeh (120 kg), Saeed Esmaeili (67 kg), and Mohammadhadi Saravi (97 kg) are the top medal contenders.

The Greco-Roman competitions will conclude on August 7, which will be followed by the freestyle events starting on August 8, where five Iranian freestyle wrestlers will compete for glory.

Leading the freestyle team is Hassan Yazdani in the 86 kg category, who is seen as the strongest medal hopeful, especially with his long-time rival, David Taylor of the US, failing to qualify this time.

Yazdani, the captain of Iran's wrestling team, has already claimed two Olympic medals—a gold at Rio in 2016 and a silver at Tokyo in 2020. His fight against Taylor in Tokyo was intense and described as the clash of wrestling titans. Taylor had the last laugh, avenging his defeat To Taylor in the world championships.

Other important wrestlers to watch out for in the freestyle events include Amir Hossein Zare (125 kg) and Rahman Amouzad (65 kg). Both of them have brought medals at the highest level.

Historically, Iran has been a strong contender in Olympic wrestling, contributing significantly to the medal tally. Out of the 76 Olympic medals won by Iran in 18 Olympic Games, 20 have come from weightlifting, including 9 gold, 6 silver, and 5 bronze medals.

Islamic Republic of Iran at Paris 2024 Olympics: Everything you need to know

Islamic Republic of Iran will be represented by 40 athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, including 29 men and 11 women, who will compete for medals in 13 sports.

Weightlifting

Jafar Salmani, an Iranian weightlifter, made history after winning the first-ever Olympic medal for his country, a bronze, at the 1948 London Games.

His performance inspired a whole generation of weightlifters who brought more medals for Iran.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Iran is represented by two weightlifters: Mostafa Javadi in the 89 kg category and Ali Davoudi in the +109 kg category.

Speaking to the Press TV website, Maryam Sabzali, coordinator for the Iran Weightlifting Federation, highlighted that Javadi is making his Olympic debut in Paris, while Davoudi is competing in his second Olympics, having secured a silver medal at Tokyo 2020.

Discussing Iran’s medal prospects at the biggest sporting event, Sabzali acknowledged the tight competition in both the 89 kg and +109 kg categories.

She, however, noted that despite the presence of Georgian weightlifting champion Lasha Talakhadze in the +109 kg category, there is still hope that Davoudi can bring home a medal.

She emphasized the significance of weightlifting in Iran’s Olympic history, highlighting recent changes that have impacted the popular sport.

"The number of weightlifting representatives each country can send to the Olympics has been reduced," she explained, noting that before the Tokyo Games, countries could send more athletes.

However, it has since been decided that each country is now limited to a maximum of three representatives, despite there being five weight categories to compete, she pointed out.

"This reduction has affected the number of medals that weightlifting can bring home," she noted

Taekwondo

Taekwondo, in particular, has had a strong history in the Olympics and has always been regarded as a sport with high medal potential for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Speaking to the Press TV website, martial arts analyst Mohammad Beyrami highlighted the achievements of Iranian taekwondo athletes in past Olympic Games and discussed the country’s prospects in this sport at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Beyrami said Taekwondo officially became part of the Olympic Games at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

"In our debut, Majid Aflaki and Hadi Saei represented Iran, with Saei winning a bronze medal. Four years later, at the Athens Olympics, we saw Yousef Karami and Saei compete, where Karami took home a bronze and Saei secured a gold medal. It was our best result at the Athens Olympics.”    

Beyrami referred to the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a standout moment for Iran when Reza Naderian and Saei represented the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"Saei won the only gold medal for Iran at those Games," he said. The success continued at the 2012 London Olympics, where Mohammad Bagheri Motamed earned a silver medal.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Iran’s taekwondo team has four athletes: Nahid Kiyani (-57 kg), who competed in Tokyo as well, and first-time Olympians Mobina Nematzadeh (-49 kg), Ariyan Salimi (+80 kg), and Mehran Barkhordari (-80 kg), Beyrami told the Press TV website.

Regarding the level of competition in taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Beyrami noted that nearly all the top taekwondo athletes in the world are participating this year.

"Technically speaking," he explained, "about 90 percent of the taekwondo players are on the same level. What will set the medalists apart is their mental and psychological strength."

Beyrami also expressed optimism about Iran’s chances in taekwondo, believing that the Iranian athletes have the potential to bring home medals.

Track and field

In a conversation with the Press TV website, track and field analyst Taher Kazemi discussed the prospects of Iranian track and field athletes at the Paris 2024 Games.

"Track and field is considered the premier sport of the Olympics," he stated, emphasizing its popularity among sport lovers worldwide.

Iranian discus thrower Ehsan Haddadi has the reputation of being the only Olympic medalist in the history of Iranian track and field. Haddadi earned a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

In gymnastics, Mahdi Olfati stands as the sole representative for Iran at the Paris 2024 Olympics, having finished fourth in the Men's Vault competition last week.

His impressive performance has solidified his reputation as a rising star in the world of gymnastics.

Arash Abdi, the head of public relations for the Gymnastics Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, told the Press TV website that Olfati's talent was first recognized seven years ago during a talent identification project initiated by Zahra Inche Darghahi, the president of Iran’s Gymnastics Federation.

Abdi also noted that Olfati made history as the first Iranian gymnast to win a medal at the Asian Games, securing a silver medal in the Men's Vault at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.

Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he said Iran had only two gymnasts participating in the Olympics, and they competed under a white card.

The Paris 2024 Olympics marks the second time rock climbing is featured at the Games, according to Reza Zarei, head of Iran's Mountaineering Federation, who spoke to the Press TV website.

Reza Alipour, 30, is the sole representative for the Islamic Republic of Iran in rock climbing at the Paris Olympics.

Zarei highlighted Alipour's impressive achievements, including his gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang and the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

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