Reza Yazdani
Reza Yazdani, born August 25, 1984 in Juybar, Mazandaran, Iran, is an Iranian freestyle wrestler nicknamed “The Leopard of Juybar.” He is a two-time world champion in the 96 kg division, winning gold at the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul and the 2013 World Championships in Budapest.
Yazdani has also won multiple Asian Games gold medals: in 2006 (84 kg, Doha), 2010 (96 kg, Guangzhou), and 2014 (97 kg, Incheon). He competed for Iran in three Olympic Games (2008, 2012, and 2016); at London 2012 he defeated Abdusalam Gadisov but was injured in the semifinal against Valeriy Andriytsev.
After returning from injury, he claimed the 2013 World Championship gold by defeating Khetag Gazyumov 4–2 in the final. As of May 2022, Yazdani was appointed head coach of Turkmenistan’s national freestyle wrestling team.
This page was last edited on 27 January 2026, at 21:17 (CET).