10/08/2024
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Mohammad Hadi Saravi clinched Iran’s first gold medal at the Paris Olympics by defeating Armenian former Olympic and world champion Artur Aleksanyan in the Greco-Roman 97kg final. Despite trailing 0-1 initially, Saravi mounted an impressive comeback to win the match 4-1 on Wednesday. Saravi secured his place in the final after a commanding 6-0 victory over Egyptian wrestler Mohamed Gabr in the semifinals on Tuesday. Earlier in the competition, he dominated Joseph Rau of the United States with a 10-1 victory in the opening round and advanced to the semifinals by overpowering Kyrgyzstan's Uzur Dzhuzupbekov with a flawless 8-0 score in the quarterfinals. Saravi's triumph in Paris adds to his previous achievements, including a gold medal in the 97kg 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. With Saravi’s gold medal, Iran has climbed to the 40th position in the Olympic rankings. Additionally, Iranian athletes have secured two bronze medals so far, one by taekwondo athlete Mobina Nematzadeh and the other by Greco-Roman wrestler Amin Mirzazadeh.