2026 Asian Games: Abdevali beats Olympic champion to win Greco-Roman gold for Iran
Iran secured another wrestling gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday as Alireza Abdevali defeated Japan’s Olympic champion Nao Kusaka 5-3 in the men’s Greco-Roman 77kg final, while teammate Mehdi Bali added a bronze in the 97kg category.
Abdevali edged Kusaka in a closely fought final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center on Thursday, adding another gold to Iran’s wrestling haul at the Games.
Kusaka entered the final as the reigning Olympic champion. He won the 77kg title at the Paris 2024 Olympics and had also faced Iran’s Abdevali at the 2025 World Championships.
Abdevali took control early and led 2-0 after the opening period. Kusaka responded in the second, but the Iranian maintained his advantage to secure the 5-3 victory.
The result gave Abdevali the biggest senior title of his career and denied Kusaka a second major title in the weight class.
The Japanese wrestler had reached the final after a dramatic 11-9 victory over Kazakhstan’s Demeu Zhadrayev in the quarterfinals. Zhadrayev was the silver medalist behind Kusaka at the Paris Olympics.
Abdevali had advanced to the final after defeating Qatar’s Shahin Badaghimofrad 9-0 in the semifinal. Badaghimofrad, an Asian champion at 82kg, had moved down to 77kg for the Games.
Iran had already celebrated gold in wrestling on Wednesday. Amin Mirzazadeh successfully defended his Asian Games title in the 130kg class, beating Uzbekistan’s Rafael Tsitsuashvili 3-1 in the final.
🤼🥇Iran’s Mirzazadeh defends Asian Games Greco-Roman 130kg gold in Nagoyahttps://t.co/owGD1rcB0K@presstvsports
— Press TV Sports (@presstvsports) September 30, 2026
Wrestling is being held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 in Nagoya. A total of 258 wrestlers are entered across men’s freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s wrestling.
Kyrgyzstan’s Akzhol Makhmudov and Qatar’s Shahin Badaghimofrad won the two bronze medals in the 77kg class.
Meanwhile, in the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg category, Iran’s Mehdi Bali secured a bronze medal on Thursday.
He overpowered Kazakhstan’s Islam Yevloyev 5-1 in the bronze medal match. Japan’s Yuri Nakazato claimed the title of the category after a 4-0 victory against India’s Nitesh.
Abdevali's gold medal has lifted Iran to fifth place in the medals table as the delegation has earned 12 gold, 16 silver, and 12 bronze medals so far.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games are taking place from September 19 to October 4 at venues across Japan, bringing together around 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions to compete in 43 sports.
Iran’s delegation, named the “Minab Angels” in tribute to those massacred in the US-Israeli attack on Shajareh Tayyebe Elementary School in Minab on February 28, is represented by 305 athletes competing in 38 sports.
Iran’s Mirzazadeh defends Asian Games Greco-Roman 130kg gold in Nagoya
Four medals and a historic first: Iran’s athletics team finishes Asian Games campaign
Davoudi snatches weightlifting gold of +110kg at 2026 Asian Games
Seven killed in bus attack in central Syria as blast hits gas pipeline near Damascus
Genuine sovereignty lies in independent decision-making, says Iraqi MP after US pullout
Israel’s next cabinet faces mounting debt, war costs: Report
VIDEO | News Review: UK economic challenges
2026 Asian Games: Abdevali beats Olympic champion to win Greco-Roman gold for Iran
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
US exit from Iraq heralds ‘beginning of expulsion’ from West Asia: IRGC
UNICEF cautions against generational crisis in Lebanon amid Israeli attacks
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
