Astana 2026: New Champions and a Changing Generation in Greco-Roman Wrestling

Danial Sohrabi's return from disappointment, Fardin Hedayati's remarkable heavyweight debut and Kiryl Maskevich's breakthrough highlighted the third day of the World Wrestling Championships.

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — October 26, 2026

The third day of the 2026 World Wrestling Championships brought three more Greco-Roman champions, with Iran winning gold at 72 kg and 130 kg, and Belarus claiming the 97 kg title.

But beyond the medals, the day offered three very different stories: a wrestler returning from a painful experience a year earlier, a young heavyweight establishing himself among the world's best, and a long-awaited breakthrough for a Belarusian contender.

Meanwhile, the final three Greco-Roman weight classes produced several intriguing matchups for the last medal session on October 27.

72 kg | From Zagreb's Heartbreak to World Gold

A year ago, Danial Sohrabi's World Championships took an unexpected turn in Zagreb. In his quarterfinal against France's Ibrahim Ghanem, repeated bleeding stoppages exhausted the four minutes allowed for medical treatment. With Ghanem leading 4–2, Sohrabi was unable to continue under the competition's medical-time rules. He eventually recovered to claim bronze, but the experience left him with an unfinished ambition.

In Astana, Sohrabi returned with a very different performance. The Iranian wrestler defeated Sweden's Henrik Dahlen 10–0, Kyrgyzstan's Amantur Ismailov 9–0 and Russia's Mingiian Goriaev 9–0 to reach the final without conceding a single point. Against Hungary's Krisztián Váncza, he completed his campaign with a 4–0 victory, claiming his first senior world title.

Across four matches, Sohrabi scored 32 points without giving up any.

For Váncza, the silver represented another important achievement in his international career, although his search for senior world gold continues.

The 72 kg competition also witnessed one of the tournament's most unfortunate moments. Azerbaijan's Ulvu Ganizade, the defending world champion, suffered a knee injury during his quarterfinal against Goriaev. After briefly taking the lead with a four-point move, Ganizade was unable to continue and left the mat on a stretcher.While Sohrabi celebrated the greatest achievement of his senior career, another champion saw his title defence end through injury.

 It was a reminder of how quickly the direction of a championship can change.

97 kg | Maskevich's Breakthrough and a Controversial Semifinal

Kiryl Maskevich of Belarus claimed his first senior world title with a convincing 7–1 victory over Russia's Artur Sargsian. The result was particularly meaningful for Maskevich, who had spent years competing against the leading wrestlers in the division without reaching the top of a senior World Championships podium.

A European silver medalist in 2021, Maskevich had also experienced setbacks against some of the same opponents he faced in Astana. His semifinal against Bulgaria's Kiril Milov was one of the day's significant turning points. Trailing 5–0, Maskevich fought back to win 7–5 and secure his place in the final. He then defeated Sargsian to complete his breakthrough.

Sargsian had reached the final after defeating Iran's defending world champion and Olympic gold medalist Mohammadhadi Saravi 5–1 in a controversial semifinal.

The match involved disputed challenges and a technical issue with the competition clock. During the broadcast, the review panel explained that the timing had been recalculated before declining to award Saravi a late step-out point. Another Iranian challenge, concerning alleged singlet pulling, was also rejected.

The decisions prompted protests from the Iranian side. While the controversy raised questions about timekeeping and the clarity of officiating decisions, it does not by itself establish deliberate bias.

Saravi returned to the mat for the bronze-medal match and defeated Sweden's Alex Kessidis 3–0. Bulgaria's Kiril Milov claimed the other bronze medal.

For Maskevich, however, the evening belonged to his long-awaited first world gold. His victory added another name to the list of champions in a division that continues to produce difficult and unpredictable contests.

130 kg | A New Heavyweight Champion Arrives

Few performances in Astana have been as commanding as Fardin Hedayati's first senior World Championships.

The young Iranian heavyweight entered the tournament after defeating his country's established champion, Amin Mirzazadeh, in the national selection process earlier this year. That victory earned him the opportunity to represent Iran on the world stage.

Hedayati reached the final without conceding a point. Against Hungary's Dárius Attila Vitek, the silver medalist from Zagreb 2025, he needed just 42 seconds to secure an 8–0 victory by technical superiority. The final ended almost as soon as it began, with Hedayati immediately imposing his strength and attacking relentlessly.

For Vitek, it was another world silver after reaching the final for the second consecutive year. Despite the defeat, his repeated appearances in major finals reflect his position among the leading heavyweights.

Hedayati's success also carries a broader meaning. For many years, the 130 kg division was shaped by legendary champions such as Cuba's Mijaín López and Türkiye's Rıza Kayaalp. Their achievements defined an era of Greco-Roman heavyweight wrestling.

Kayaalp, a five-time world champion, returned to Astana this year hoping to add another title to his remarkable career. Seven years earlier, he had won gold in the same city at the 2019 World Championships.

This time, his campaign ended in the quarterfinals against Finland's Elias Kuosmanen. Hedayati later defeated Kuosmanen 9–0 in the semifinals. The contrast between Kayaalp's return and Hedayati's arrival was one of the most interesting developments in the division.

One of the sport's most accomplished heavyweights was unable to return to the podium, while a new champion emerged in his first senior World Championships.

Belarus' Pavel Hlinchuk and China's Wenhao Jiang completed the 130 kg podium with bronze medals.

Beyond the Result | Different Paths to the Same Podium

The third day in Astana showed once again how different the road to a world title can be.

For Sohrabi, gold represented a return from one of the most difficult moments of his previous World Championships.

For Maskevich, it was the reward for years of international competition and a remarkable comeback in the semifinals.

For Hedayati, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in the heavyweight division.

And for those who fell short — from Vitek and Sargsian to the injured Ganizade and the experienced Kayaalp — the results told very different stories of expectations, setbacks and unfinished ambitions.

The medals tell us who won. The journeys behind them tell us much more.

Wrestling Podium Radio | Beyond the Result