Iran win title, US the hearts

IT WASN'T as loud as the other day. But it was loud alright. Jordan Burroughs had been trailing Iran's Peyman Yarahmadi for most part of the first period of the World Cup gold medal matchuntilhebegantoclawhiswayback.the cheers for Yarahmadi soon turned into jeers for Burroughs. It turned louder when the London Olympics nudged ahead early in the second round, taking a 3-2 lead.

After that, it was a defensive masterclass. And, for a moment, the crowd forgot whom they were cheering for. Chants of 'Jordan, Jordan' echoed inside the packed Imam Khomeini stadium in Kermanshah as the Iranian wrestler lay on the mat motionless.

It was surreal. US and Iran, the two longstanding political enemies. But not today, as a large section of the Iranian crowd cheered the Americanon,againsttheirownwrestler.“they (Iran)havethebestfansintheworld.theytreat someonelikejordanburroughshowtherestof the West would treat Michael Jordan,” says Daniellobdell,associateproducerofamerican website Flowrestling. USA'S participation in the elite eight-team World Cup was shrouded in doubt ever since Donald Trump placed a travelbanonsevencountries.iran,whichwasa a part of that list, consequently decided not to grantvisastoamericanwrestlersfortheworld Cupbutrelentedafterauscourtliftedtheban.

After weeks of back and forth, a 13-member US team was greeted by swarm of Iranian wrestling fans and media when they landed intehranonfebruary13.itwashardlysurprising as, despite the frosty political relation, the two wrestling powerhouses have enjoyed a healthy rivalry on the mat.

Since the Iranian revolution, the wrestlers fromusahavetravelledtoiran15timeswhile Iranhavemadethejourneytoamericanon16 occasions. The US sees Iran as its biggest, and honest, competition apart from the rich wrestling history and passionate fans. “There are a couple of key reasons. Americans spend a lot of time thinking about fair play, and it seemslikewrestlersandfansfromtheusthink Iranians do less steroids, don't lie about their age and don't pay off officials, or at least not as much as the Eastern European countries,” an American wrestling official says.

Iniran,thecrazefortheamericanwrestlers was evident from the moment they landed. A packed stadium welcomed the team with deafening cheers during the World Cup’s inauguration on Thursday, with the hall again reverberating with the chants of ‘Jordan’.