Iranian wrestlers are beefing up their preparations for the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics, where the team's coaches and athletes say they are aiming for new heights.
While the country competes across many different sports, it is wrestling that holds its attention. Roman and freestyle wrestling are a source of national pride, accounting for more than half of Iran's Olympic medals.
Iran is one of the strongest teams in the world when it comes to wrestling. The country holds 76 Olympic medals, and its wrestlers have won nearly 50 of them.
Since the Islamic Republic was established in the late 1970s, Iran has won medals in wrestling in all the summer games it's taken part in, and the national team plans to continue this legacy in France.
"It's a very big responsibility to coach Iran's national team. People have the right to expect a lot from the wrestling team, especially our roman wrestlers. All the athletes in our Olympic delegation also expect a lot from us. And I'm hopeful that our six wrestlers can meet the people's expectations," said Hassan Rangraz, coach of the Iranian National Roman Wrestling Team.
Amin Azazadeh is one of the hopefuls this year in the 120-plus kilogram weight category. Ranked number one on the United World Wrestling 2024 list, he is set to compete for gold.
"In the previous Olympics I ranked fifth, but I'm hopeful about winning gold in the coming Olympics. We've definitely faced hard training days due to the importance of this Olympic Games, which are only held every four years. It needs precise planning. My strongest competitors are from Cuba, Türkiye, Russia, and of course the others are also good. No one goes to the Olympics to lose. We are all there to win," he said.
Trophies Iran's national wrestling team has won throughout its history surround the players as they train.
On the walls of the hall, pictures of World and Olympic champions look over the wrestlers to inspire them to new heights.
On their journey to prepare for the Olympics, Iran's national wrestling team has won medals in all the competitions they've participated in over recent months.
The country appears to be on the right track. Its wrestlers won 11 tickets for the Olympics out of the 12 maximum seats set for each country in both Roman and freestyle wrestling.
Iranian wrestlers aim high as they grapple with Olympic training
