Gholamreza FAROKHI wins his second consecutive 82kg world title in Astana

Back-to-back. Two-timer. The King of 82kg. Gholamreza FAROKHI (IRI) combined dominant finishes with comeback wins to claim his second consecutive 82kg world title in Astana. He opened by pinning Zoltan LEVAI (HUN), then powered past Mihail BRADU (MDA), 9–0, in the quarterfinals. His toughest test came against Gamzat GADZHIEV (RUS) in the semifinals, where he erased a 3–0 deficit with a second-period gut wrench to win 3–3 on criteria. In the final, Farokhi delivered the decisive moment against Yuksel SARICICEK (TUR), turning a potential stepout into a four-point counter throw with 1:50 remaining. He closed out a 7–1 victory to secure back-to-back world golds.