Iran’s Mirzazadeh defends Asian Games Greco-Roman 130kg gold in Nagoya
Iran’s Amin Mirzazadeh retained his Asian Games Greco-Roman wrestling title by defeating Uzbekistan’s Rafael Tsitsuashvili 3-1 in the men’s 130kg final.
Mirzazadeh’s victory at the Inae Sports Center on Wednesday delivered Iran’s first wrestling medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games and its 11th gold medal of the competition. Wrestling at the Games is being contested in freestyle, women’s wrestling and Greco-Roman, with the tournament running from September 30 to October 3.
The 28-year-old Iranian received a bye in the opening round before overcoming Kyrgyzstan’s Murat Botoev 7-0 in the quarterfinals.
He then faced China’s Meng Lingzhe in the semifinals. In a tight contest, Mirzazadeh prevailed 1-1 by virtue of scoring the first point to book his place in the final.
🤼🥇Mirzazadeh strikes Iran’s first wrestling gold at Nagoya Asian Games
— Press TV Sports (@presstvsports) September 30, 2026
Amin Mirzazadeh, a bronze medalist at Paris Olympics, defeated Uzbekistan’s wrestler in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final to clinch gold at the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games.@presstvsports pic.twitter.com/hAxvTv4OWU
Mirzazadeh is among the most decorated Iranian wrestlers. He is a two-time world champion, four-time Asian champion and a bronze winner in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He also successfully defended his Asian title earlier this year, beating Tsitsuashvili 9-0 in the final of the 2026 Asian Championships in Bishkek.
The Nagoya gold was Mirzazadeh’s second consecutive Asian Games title, following his triumph at the Hangzhou Games.
“I thank God that the closing of today was with my gold medal,” Mirzazadeh said after the final.
“I hope this medal will be the beginning of consecutive gold medals for the Iranian sports delegation, especially our good wrestlers, who can win gold medals in the coming days and make our people happy.”
Reflecting on his second Asian Games gold, he added, “I thank God. This honor is a source of happiness, like the gold medals that, by God's grace, I was able to win at all age levels. I hope the people of our country have been made happy by this gold medal.”
Iran will continue its wrestling campaign in Nagoya on Thursday, with the next Greco-Roman weight classes taking to the mat as the four-day wrestling tournament continues.
Iran now ranks 6th in the medals table with a haul of 11 gold, 16 silver, and 12 bronze medals.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games are being held from September 19 to October 4 across venues in Japan, with around 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports.
Iran's delegation, named “Minab Angels”—a tribute to the victims of the US-Israeli attack on Shajareh Tayyebe Elementary School in Minab on February 28—is competing at the Games with 305 athletes across 38 sports.
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