Iranian athletes turn war trauma into global triumphs

TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Rising from the rubble of their destroyed training arenas — and the daily traumas of an unprovoked aggression — Iran’s national wrestling and junior taekwondo teams channeled their nation’s grief and resilience into a powerful display of championship dominance on the international stage.

The iconic 12,000-seat Azadi Indoor Stadium in Tehran was once the beating heart of Iranian sports, especially wrestling. Beneath its sweeping roof, generations of athletes had forged their legacies.

But by early March, the stadium lay in ruins. Its historic architecture was reduced to rubble by U.S.-Israeli bombings. The strikes also severely damaged the national wrestling teams’ camp and a host of other sports facilities within the Azadi Complex.

For the Iranian teams, the destruction of their sporting sanctuary was hard to fathom, but it did not break them. It only strengthened their resolve to pursue their goals.

Against the grim backdrop of the war, which began on Feb. 28 in the middle of nuclear talks, these athletes embarked on a journey that transcended sport.

Across the arenas of Tashkent and Bishkek, Iran’s junior taekwondo practitioners and senior wrestlers secured world and Asian championships, respectively, making strong statements on the international stage.

A gold dedicated to Minab children

Iran’s junior taekwondo squad was in Uzbekistan last week for the 15th World Taekwondo Junior Championships. Competing at Tashkent’s Olympic Sports Complex against a contingent of 986 competitors from 115 countries, the 19-athlete Iranian squad — including 10 boys and nine girls — delivered a commanding performance.

The emotional zenith came with Mohammad Erfan Khodaei. Competing in the boys’ -55 kg weight class, Khodaei won all six of his bouts without dropping a single round.

He defeated El Salvador’s Astorga Melgar 2-0, followed by identical 2-0 victories against Malaysia’s Prakash and Albania’s Gjikaj.

After beating Chinese Taipei’s Po-Yu Cheng and Kazakhstan’s Medetbay, Khodaei faced Poland’s Sokolowski in the final and swept the match in two rounds.

Social media footage showed a teary-eyed Khodaei taking a victory lap, laying the Iranian flag on the mat and kissing it.

“I dedicate this medal to the martyrs of the Shajareh Tayyibeh school of Minab,” Khodaei said after winning gold, referring to the elementary school in southern Iran that was bombed on the first day of the war, killing 170, mostly children.

Iran’s gold haul continued. In the girls’ +68 kg category, Hana Zarrinkamar defeated competitors from Greece (2-0), the Netherlands (2-1), Tunisia (2-0) and Croatia (2-0) before a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic’s Binova in the final.

Benyamin Soltanian matched that dominance in the boys’ -73 kg division, winning gold without conceding a round. After a bye, he defeated opponents from Greece, Bosnia, Mexico and Ukraine 2-0, before beating South Korea’s Seung Min Ahn 2-0 in the final.

Parsa Hoshiyar added another gold in the -63 kg class, defeating France’s Rosemond 2-1 in the final.

Bahar Tahmasebi (girls’ -42 kg), Pinar Lotfizadeh (girls’ -59 kg) and Helia Ebrahimian (girls’ -49 kg) secured bronze medals.

The Iranian boys’ team finished as world runner-up with 397 points and three gold medals, just behind Uzbekistan with 404 points. The girls’ team placed fourth overall.

The Ministry of Sports said the performance showed that “the pulse of life, growth, and hope … does not stop beating,” even in the most difficult conditions.

The National Olympic Committee said the seven-medal haul demonstrated that the sports community “has not backed down alongside its people.”

Absolute dominance on the wrestling mat

In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Iran’s senior wrestlers dominated both Greco-Roman and freestyle competitions despite disrupted preparations and a difficult journey.

Training was severely affected after facilities in Tehran were damaged, forcing the team to relocate.

“We spent many days trying to find a safe place to practise,” said freestyle head coach Pejman Dorostkar.

The team eventually trained in Mazandaran, about 200 kilometers north of Tehran, but conditions remained challenging.

“It was a very difficult situation,” Dorostkar said. “We were in a state of war. Our country was under bombardment. Our guys were worried about their families.”

Travel to Bishkek was equally arduous. With airports damaged and routes disrupted, the team undertook a 22-hour bus journey to the border and needed 48 hours to reach Kyrgyzstan.

The Greco-Roman team delivered a perfect campaign, winning medals in all 10 weight classes and securing the Asian title with 195 points, ahead of Kyrgyzstan (153) and Uzbekistan (136).

Mohammad Hadi Saravi (97 kg) and Amin Mirzazadeh (130 kg) won gold medals.

Erfan Jarkani (63 kg), Mohammad Javad Rezaei (72 kg), Ali Eskou (77 kg), Mohammad Amin Hosseini (82 kg) and Gholamreza Farrokhi (87 kg) took silver, while Mohammad Hesseinvand Panahi (55 kg), Ali Ahmadi Vafa (60 kg) and Ahmadreza Mohsenzadeh (67 kg) claimed bronze.

Days later, Iran’s freestyle team also won the Asian title with 178 points, ahead of India (162) and Japan (127), with four gold medals, one silver and three bronze.

Milad Valizadeh (57 kg) was named the tournament’s best wrestler, winning all his bouts before regulation time.

Mohammad Mobin Azimi (92 kg) captured gold without conceding a point, while Kamran Ghasempour (86 kg) secured gold with a dominant final performance.

Heavyweight Amir Hossein Zare delivered one of the most emotional victories, winning gold in the 125 kg category.

“This gold medal is 100 percent the most emotional one for me,” Zare said. “I was able to win this despite the situation my country is in.”

He said the team remained mindful of the broader suffering at home.

“We were wrestling. Others were having bombs dropped on them. There were children who were martyred,” he said.

“We will always perform at the highest level. When I fight, I know the people of my country support me. That gives me strength.”

Amir Ali Azarpira (97 kg) won silver, while Ahmad Mohammadnejad Javan (61 kg), Sina Khalili (70 kg) and Amir Mohammad Yazdani (74 kg) earned bronze.

Dorostkar said the team’s act of kissing the flag on the podium symbolized unity with the nation.

Rising from the ashes

As athletes returned home with medals, the destruction of facilities — particularly Azadi Stadium — became a symbol not of defeat, but of resolve.

“Azadi Stadium was a piece of history. I don’t know why they attacked it,” Dorostkar said.

“You don’t attack historic places. It held many memories for the people of Iran, especially wrestlers.”

Despite the devastation, he expressed confidence in rebuilding.

“Our enemies can’t cut out our roots for the sport,” he said. “That stadium will be rebuilt. It will be better, and we hope to be champions again.”