Zare’s Sixth Senior Year Begins with a Win — Masoumi Heads to U23 Worlds Again

Once again, Amirhossein Zare and Amirreza Masoumi faced off in the heavyweight division of freestyle wrestling, and once again, experience prevailed. Zare defeated Masoumi, reaffirming his dominance and securing his place on the senior world team for the sixth consecutive year.

Both wrestlers are world-class talents. There’s no doubt that whichever of the two represents Iran at the senior World Championships, they will be podium contenders.

Zare, who first joined the senior national team in 2019 after Parviz Hadi's injury, has consistently medaled in every major event since his debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. His record includes two Olympic medals (silver and bronze) and three world medals—two gold (2021, 2023) and one bronze (2022).

With heavyweight rivals like Taha Akgül and likely Geno Petriashvili missing from this year’s World Championships, and the U.S. expected to send Wyatt Hendrickson or Mason Parris to Zagreb, Zare appears to have a clear path to gold.

Of course, Zare was also considered a favorite at the Paris Olympics, but an unexpected early point gap against Petriashvili in the final led to a close loss and a silver finish. That match—and others before it—have no doubt added to his experience and hunger.

As for Amirreza Masoumi, despite the loss, he remains Iran’s top contender for the upcoming U23 World Championships. He has already secured multiple age-group world titles and will be aiming for another.