Iran gained the upper hand against its old foe the US in the sporting arena on Thursday, winning most medals in a wrestling contest that coincides with talk of a possible thaw in bilateral ties.
Six US wrestlers are taking part in the two-day Takhti Cup at Tehran’s Azadi sports complex, together with athletes from Cuba, Iraq, Turkey and other countries.
The first two Americans to enter the competition lost their opening matches against Iranian opponents, drawing loud cheers from a small but enthusiastic crowd in the 12,000-capacity indoor stadium.
PHOTO: AP
Even though one of them later went on to win a bronze medal, Iran dominated the first day of competition with a haul of 10 out of 12 medals at stake.
“We’re getting off to a slow start ... we made some pretty critical mistakes,” US head coach Zeke Jones said after the two US defeats in the morning session.
But, “it is always a wonderful opportunity to compete with the Iranians. They are such a great wrestling country. It is one of the best tournaments in the world,” he said.
In a major shift in US policy, the administration of new US President Barack Obama has offered to engage Iran in direct talks if the Islamic Republic “unclenches its fist.”
Iran has reacted cautiously, saying it wants to see real change in US policy after the administration of former US president George W. Bush’s drive to isolate Tehran.
Jones suggested that sporting encounters such as the Takhti Cup could improve ties: “Wrestling is a common bond for the people of America and Iran,” he said.
The US cut off diplomatic ties with Iran nearly three decades ago but the two nations have at times put aside their differences when it comes to sport.
About 20 US wrestlers and their coaches came to Iran to compete in the same tournament in January 2007 and an Iranian basketball team played in the US last year.
“It was definitely a fair match,” said US wrestler Michael Tamillow after he lost against Rasoul Tavakoli in the 96kg freestyle event. “It feels good but I wish I had won.”
The two athletes hugged each other after the match.
Tamillow later won a match against another Iranian opponent to take the bronze medal.
The second match seemed more tense, a disappointed Michael Zadik declining to speak to reporters after his defeat against Mostafa Hosseinkhani in the 66kg weight class.
Since 2006, 75 Iranians including basketball and table tennis players have been to the US under an exchange program.
But last month, Iran did not issue visas for a US women’s badminton team to compete in the country, a move the Obama administration at the time called “unfortunate”.
Jones praised his hosts: “The Iranian people are wonderful. They make you feel more like a rock star than anything else.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS