Exclusive interview with Amir Zare: Iran's world champion shares how wrestling unites nations - 'Sport is more than politics'
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, the freestyle wrestling 125 kg world champion reveals how he was able to bring together fans from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the USA, and how he draws inspiration from NBA star Steph Curry.
Wrestling
When Amir Zare lifted his arms in triumph after winning the men’s freestyle 125 kg title at the 2023 Wrestling World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, the noise was deafening.
The significant contingent of fans from the heavyweight’s homeland, the Islamic Republic of Iran, showed their love for their hero with flags, horns, and catchy chants.
But equally clamorous were the USA fans in the arena, who were also keen to show their appreciation for a job well done.
For some, this may be unexpected. But this show of respect between Iranian and American fans in wrestling is nothing new.
As two of the most prominent nations in the sport, their athletes regularly face off in the finals of major events, and they’ve gotten to know each other very well over the years.
True to form, out of the four gold medal matches on night one of the 2023 Worlds, three were won by US athletes, while Iran sealed a silver and a victory of their own through Zare.
“Every single moment of tonight, I felt that the people were with me,” Zare - who is also an IOC Scholarship holder through the Olympic Solidarity programme - said with the assistance of a translator. “They really gave me so much energy.
“Sport is more than politics, and the two things are separate. If an athlete does a good job, it doesn’t matter where they are from, the fans will show their care and appreciation for the athlete.”
Iran v USA: A history of respect in wrestling
This is a sentiment that was wholeheartedly echoed by 86 kg Olympic champion David Taylor.
Moments before Zare won the 125 kg gold, the American defended his own 86 kg world title against Iranian legend and Rio 2016 Olympic champion Hassan Yazdani.
The duo have competed against each other in several Olympic and world title finals over the past five years, resulting in a sizable Iranian following for Taylor.
“Wrestling is unique, it’s a common language,” Taylor told Olympics.com after his victory.
“The fans and athletes know how much it takes to do this sport, it’s hard and it’s something we all share.
“My rivalry with Yazdani brings people together, and they appreciate that my style is entertaining.”
Why wrestling is so important in Iran
Zare’s brilliance on the mat is especially important in Iran, where the sport holds a special place in people’s hearts.
Competing in the largest and most daunting weight division, where athletes typically hit their peak in their late 20s to early 30s, the 22-year-old has taken the sport by storm with two world titles and an Olympic bronze from Tokyo 2020.
“Wrestling is our national sport and people really love it,” the Mazandaran-born grappler continued.
“It is one of the toughest sports in the world, and if you are able to endure that intensity on the mat, in life you will not have problems.
“But even for the fans, it doesn’t matter how many problems they have in their life, when wrestling starts, they forget about them. So we have a responsibility to inspire them and we will do everything possible to make them happy.”
The secret to Amir Zare’s success
Zare burst onto the senior heavyweight scene in 2021 with his first world title.
Since then, he has formed one of the sport’s most intriguing rivalries alongside Turkish Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion Taha Akgul, and another three-time world champion in Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili - the latter of whom he defeated in the 2023 Worlds final.
So how does the Iranian man mountain stay so calm and composed on the world’s biggest stage, demonstrating maturity well beyond his years to go toe-to-toe with such experienced campaigners?
“Discipline is the most important thing to me,” Zare revealed.
“I don’t compare myself to my rivals or other athletes my age. At 22-years-old, I’ve sacrificed so much to be here.
“I follow the NBA and one of my favourite players is Steph Curry,” he said of the Golden State Warriors star, who has helped the USA to two FIBA World Cup titles among his many achievements in the NBA.
“In wrestling, my role model is Abdulrashid (Sadulaev) and [Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist at 86kg freestyle] Hassan Yazdani. When I lived with Yazdani, and observed his lifestyle, I realised what makes him different from others is his discipline and working under pressure.”
Amir Zare will ‘sacrifice every moment’ in pursuit of Olympic gold at Paris 2024
Zare will need to harness all his experience to date, if he is to complete his medal collection next year by winning gold at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
At Tokyo 2020, he suffered an agonising 6-3 loss to Petriashvili in the semi-finals, before going on to secure the bronze in his debut Games.
As such, he knows how difficult his task ahead will be.
“My toughest dream of any athlete is winning the gold medal at the Olympics,” Zare said.
“I’m going to sacrifice every moment of my life from now until then to achieve that dream.”
2023 Wrestling World Winners, men's freestyle - 18 September
Joining Zare as gold medal winners at the 2023 Wrestling World Championships on 18 September were Akmed Usmanov in the 79kg category, and Rizabek Aitmukhan of Kazakhstan at 92kg, who beat Vladimeri Gamkrelidze of Georgia and Azerbaijan's Osman Nurmagomedov respectively.
Elsewhere, history was made as 57kg Serbian Stevan Micic won the host nation's first ever men's World title with victory over the experienced Japanese campaigner Higuchi Rei, before Zaurbek Sidakov beat four-time world champion Kyle Dake in the 74kg final.