Adam Coon lost the 130-kilogram lottery Sunday in Paris, where he drew perhaps the worst possible landing spot in his Greco-Roman bracket. 

Coon’s reward for becoming an Olympian: An opening-round bout against reigning World champion Amin Mirzazadeh of Iran with Greco-Roman legend Mijain Lopez looming in the quarterfinals. 

There might not be a tougher path to the podium all week in Paris than the one set in front of Coon on the opening day of wrestling at the Olympics. 

“It doesn’t matter who steps out in front of us,” Coon said. “I’m going to try to beat the guy who steps out in front, I don’t care who it was.” 

Coon put forth a noble effort Monday afternoon against Mirzazadeh but the Iranian’s craftiness and par terre power proved to be too much in a 3-1 victory against the 29-year-old Michigan native. 

“I wrestled tough,” Coon said. “Positions didn’t quite go my way today. There’s a reason why he’s a World champ. He’s a tough competitor and he got to the better positions today. I battled hard, but it wasn’t quite enough.” 

Par terre proved to be the difference. Mirzazadeh turned Coon once during his turn on top in the first period and then anchored himself to the mat when the American got his turn on top in the second. 

“The keys were stopping that gutwrench and he tricked me good on that one,” Coon said. “He was able to get that through. 

“Just watching film on him and the way he runs that gut, he was able to get a lock a little bit better than I wanted and I thought he was going left and he tricked me and came back to the right. So that’s kind of what it came down and I let my hips get a little bit loose and over I went.” 

That was difference. 

Coon held his own on his feet — enough to garner a passivity point and a chance on top in the second period — but Mirzazadeh didn’t budge when Coon tried to lock up a gutwrench. 

“He was just providing good pressure into the mat and I wasn’t able to ever get a good, sturdy lock, so I couldn’t really get to any of my turns,” Coon said. “He was just really good at fighting off the lock — better than I was today.” 

Later in the day, Lopez — who’s bidding for a record fifth Olympic gold — bounced Mirzazadeh out of the championship bracket and ended Coon’s tournament with a 3-1 victory against the Iranian.