Iranian Wrestling

[PEJ]

Kavianpour and Mirmohamadi both qualified Greco 77 and 87 respectively. We are all booked for every weight category in Greco. We still can get the last 57 freestyle spot in Istanbul next month.

[diz]

He got beat 2 times in a row by Brooks, best 2 out of 3 gets the spot. Taylor only scored 1 point in both matches combined. Taylor only had 2 matches, where as Brooks had to come out to the bracket to have the opportunity to face Taylor. He is going to be 34 this year. If you watched the matches, he looked nothing like the guy last year who beat Hassan.

Taylor got a bye to the final of US qualifiers for his performance last year. It can be argued that it could have helped him (he was rested) or hurt him (he wasn’t really warmed up before facing Brooks). Obviously his age and lack of endurance was also a factor in facing a 23 year old Brooks. Finally, Brooks barely squeezed past Zahid to make it to the final (he got a last second point from the ref). So it could have been a totally different story.

[diz]

Brooks is a beast in neutralizing leg shots (Taylor’s specialty). He seems very “bottom heavy” in that sense. IMHO Yazdani and Co need to analyze the heck out of Brooks’ qualifiers and work on the trusted and true Iranian underhook to overcome Brooks. Yazdani certainly can’t outlast him physically, and will quickly tire out of trying to shoot at his legs like Taylor did. Gotta topple him from the top.

here’s the final match between Brooks and Taylor:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wC4yiVfPf8M

[PEJ]

Taylor got a bye to the final of US qualifiers for his performance last year. It can be argued that it could have helped him (he was rested) or hurt him (he wasn’t really warmed up before facing Brooks). Obviously his age and lack of endurance was also a factor in facing a 23 year old Brooks. Finally, Brooks barely squeezed past Zahid to make it to the final (he got a last second point from the ref). So it could have been a totally different story.

Brooks definitely got a gift in his match against Valencia. The point was for grabbing the singlet. It didn’t look like it was on purpose and didn’t really give him an advantage. There was literally 6 seconds on the clock. That was a huge call by the ref. Even if by rule you have to give that point, how do you make that call to kill someone’s Olympic dream.

[Nokhodi]

Wrestling and volleyball to me are the most insanely difficult sports to get Olympic spots for.

Ridiculous how many superstars get cut before every tournament to keep the tournament at the highest quality, yet the IOC idiots keep threatening to remove it.

[diz]

^to me, Wrestling is one of the “founding” sports of the Olympics. There are literally Greek and Roman paintings/sculptures depicting matches thousands of years ago. The facts that it might get removed and replaced by the likes of skateboarding seems so….

[diz]

First time I’ve seen him wrestle (I think). Looks really solid!

[AGC]

The guy Kaipanov took him out at 2019 world champs at 70kg. Kaipamov got his ass handed to him at Olympic quals. In Belgrade he lost on tie breaker to Kyle Dake. 2-2. He is Def a medal contender

His main opposition will be Dake and Sidakov in Paris

[PEJ]

Alireza Sarlak, 2021 worlds silver medalist, failed to qualify for the Olympics this past weekend. No Iranian wrestler at 57kg this year.

[Nokhodi]

Alireza Sarlak, 2021 worlds silver medalist, failed to qualify for the Olympics this past weekend. No Iranian wrestler at 57kg this year.

Why are we like this at light weights?

[PEJ]

Why are we like this at light weights?

Great question. I cant really put my fingers on it. I do think our style of wrestling kind of lends to us being good at the upper weights. We love the underhook, physical, hand fighting game. Our wrestlers historically have not done well with the quick pacy wrestler who stay disengaged and shoot at us like Burroghs and Taylor. At the smaller weights, I think we are just not quick enough to handle the speed.

[kapenak]

What is going on with Kamran Ghasempour? I've heard a lot that he is in top notch shape but won't be going to the Olympics? And somehow Hassan Yazdani and him are competing for the same spot or something? What's the deal there?

[PEJ]

What is going on with Kamran Ghasempour? I've heard a lot that he is in top notch shape but won't be going to the Olympics? And somehow Hassan Yazdani and him are competing for the same spot or something? What's the deal there?

Kamran is a 92kg guy and there is no Olympic weight class at 92Kg. He is too small to make any serious run at 97kg. It seems like he has been cutting weight in hopes of replacing Yazdani. Yazdani is coming off a shoulder surgery, but he is pretty adamant in not giving his spot up. The decision will be made by the federation. I can’t see the federation giving that spot to Kamran. Yazdani is a national treasure and he most likely has a chance to call his shot. Also with Taylor being out, the path is pretty clear if Yazdani is fully healthy.

[diz]

https://m.youtube.com/watch/rQfhWAvr9jI

[diz]

Gable Steveson, Olympic gold medal winner and NCAA champion wrestler, signs with Bills (NFL)