An Iranian wrestler, who originally won bronze at the 2012 Olympics in London, received the gold medal on Thursday after positive doping tests disqualified the top two, Iran’s official agency said on Friday.
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“Komeil Ghasemi officially received his gold medal in the men’s 120kg freestyle event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and became the most decorated heavyweight wrestler in Iranian history. “, announced the IRNA.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year sent a letter to the Iranian Olympic Committee informing it of its decision following a doping investigation involving Uzbek Artur Taymazov and Georgian Davit Modzmanashvili,” added the official. ‘agency.
“It’s a good and beautiful feeling,” Ghasemi said at the official ceremony in Tehran, adding that “the Olympic gold medal is what every athlete desires.”
The Iranian heavyweight is not the only one to have received a gold medal after the fact in this category, it is also the case of the Russian Bilyal Makhov, who had initially won the bronze like Ghasemi.
The Russian wrestler himself was suspended in September 2021 for a period of four years, with retroactive effect until January 2024, after testing positive for a banned substance.
Born in Mazandaran province in northern Iran, Ghasemi, 34 years old like Makhov, won gold at the 2014 Asian Wrestling Championships and four silver medals at major international tournaments.