Paris Olympics: Wrestler Saravi bags first gold for Iran, beats Armenian Olympic champ
Mohammad Hadi Saravi defeated his Armenian opponent and former Olympic and world champion Artur Aleksanyan in the finals of Greco-Roman 97kg at the Paris Olympics to win the first gold medal for Iran.
Despite initially trailing 0-1, Saravi delivered a solid performance to secure a 4-1 win in a tough match on Wednesday.
He advanced to the finals after a decisive 6-0 victory over his Egyptian opponent, Mohamed Gabr, in the 97-kg category on Tuesday.
In the first round, Saravi overpowered Joseph Rau from the United States with a decisive 10-1 victory.
Mohammad Hadi Saravi defeats his Armenian opponent and former Olympic and world champion Artur Aleksanyan 4-1 in the finals of Greco-Roman 97kg at the Paris Olympics to win the first gold medal for Iran.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/kTdWFCuNFS
— Press TV at Paris Olympics (@presstvsports) August 7, 2024
He continued his dominant run in the quarterfinals, easily dispatching Kyrgyzstan's Uzur Dzhuzupbekov with a flawless 8-0 score, securing his spot in the semi-finals
Saravi previously won the gold medal in the 97-kg category at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships in Oslo, Norway, and a bronze medal in the same category at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Saravi’s gold medal has helped Iran climb to the 40th position in the Olympic rankings.
So far, Iranian athletes have earned two other medals, both bronze, won by taekwondo athlete Mobina Nematzadeh and Greco-Roman wrestler Amin Mirzazadeh.
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