Iran’s Reza Yazdani, also known as “The Leopard of Juybar” will not be competing at the World Championships. Yazdani won the World Championships in 2011 and 2013 at 96kg. Earlier this year he won Iranian Nationals and his spot on the team.

The Tehran Times reported that Yazdani’s injuries were too severe and he would not be able to wrestle. The injury was apparently sustained during an Iranian team training camp.

The following picture of Yazdani has been circulating social media and shows the potentially injured area on Yazdani’s right leg.
























Yazdani was noticeably not himself at the World Cup where he showed visible fatigue (below).



Yazdani is currently ranked 7th in the UWW World Rankings at 97kg. His absence is one less hammer that could stand in Snyder’s way. While Iran will have a quality replacement in either Abbas Tahan or Mohammad Mohammadian, neither present the challenges that a healthy Yazdani would likely pose.