VETERANS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
U.S. team turns in strong performance
By Gary Abbott In most cases, by the time international wrestlers turn 35
years old, their career is already over or very close to comple- tion. The wear and tear on the body from years of intense com- petition takes a toll on combat athletes. However, for the wrestlers who participate in the Veterans division, turning 35 is just the beginning of their new competitive career. Since the early 1990’s, FILA has sponsored the Veterans World Championships for athletes who are 35 and older. For the last two decades, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers from all over the world have come together to com- pete against other athletes who are close to their age. This year, the Veterans World Championships was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzogovina, and a group of 34 American wrestlers entered the competition. It was a good year for Team USA, which came home with 27 medals in both styles including seven individual champions. The top Veterans wrestler from the USA is 64-year-old Shirzad Ahmadi of Connecticut, who won his record ninth career Veterans World title with a victory at 138 pounds in Div. F (age 61-65) in freestyle. Ahmadi won both of his bouts by technical fall. He also came back a few days later to win a silver medal in Greco-Roman. A native of Iran, Ahmadi was a Military World champion who competed in college and wrestled on their national team. At age 26, he moved to the United States to attend graduate school and remained here, becoming a U.S. citizen. He competed at the Veterans Worlds in 1993 in Toronto, Canada and has never looked back. “The tournaments are the same for me as when I was young.
The top countries like Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan and others attend the Veterans Worlds. It is good to see them. It is fun for me, and I have been doing it for 20 years now,” he said. Ahmadi is a physics teacher, and coaches wrestling at a club
in Coventry, Conn. He is also an assistant wrestling coach for Western New England University in Springfield, Mass. Veterans wrestling motivates him to continue his involvement in wrestling. “It gives me a reason to stay healthy. I train each year for the
Veterans tournament. Without it, I would have no goals as a wrestler. I wish more former college and freestyle wrestlers would do it. I will do this as long as my body allows me to do it,” said Ahmadi. Winning his third career Veterans freestyle title this year was
James Kasser of Ohio, who captured the title at 138 pounds in Div. D (age 51-55). Kasser, 51, won a five-athlete round robin for the gold. He is a wrestling coach for Orentangy Orange High School in Central Ohio, and works as a fire fighter. “I stay pretty active, and wrestle with my team. I also like to stay in shape for my work for the fire department, which helps
Jason Goldman captured gold and silver medals at the Veterans World Championships. Robbert Wijtman photo.
me do my job effectively. When I heard about the Veterans in 2001, I started competing,” he said. Kasser hurt his shoulder in a fire in 2005 and missed a few
years of competition but returned when he had healed. In 2010, he won his first Veterans World title, which has motivated him to continue to compete. He takes it this competition very seriously. “For the training and preparation for the Worlds, I give my all.
I train with the guys at the Ohio RTC in Columbus. I have access to a great wrestling room for my training, with guys like World Team members Angel Escobedo, Tervel Dlagnev, Reece Humphrey and J.D. Bergman. It is unbelievable for me. I get the training to do very well,” he said. Of his three World titles, Kasser felt that this year’s field was
the most competitive. “For me, this one was the hardest. The competitors were very
equal to me. It was about being in better condition, and having the best technique. To win the gold, I knew that the Russian was very good at Greco. I had to change my style in order to beat him,” said Kasser.
Continued on page 41 15 USA Wrestler
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