August 06, 2021
Saeid Mollaei, an Iranian defector representing Mongolia at the Tokyo Olympics, has won a silver medal in judo for his adopted country.
Mollaei, 29, lost to Japan’s Takanori Nagase in the men’s 81-kg judo final July 27 in a very close match.
Previously, Mollaei had beaten judokas from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Austria, generally winning by substantial margins.
Mollaei, who won the 2018 world championship title, left Iran two years ago after being ordered to deliberately lose at a World Cup tournament to avoid fighting Israel’s Sagi Muki in the final.
As a result, Iran was suspended from the sport by the International Judo Federation.
Mollaei swiftly gained Mongolian citizenship, undoubtedly helped by the fact that Mongolia’s president is an active wrestler.
In February 2021, Mollaei fought in Israel and met Muki, who called him his “brother.” Muki was eliminated at the Tokyo Games after an early defeat by an Austrian judoka.
“I’m super happy for Saeid,” Muki told a news conference of Israeli reporters on July 27. “I know what he’s gone through and how much he wanted it. He’s a very close friend of mine, and I’m so happy that he succeeded in achieving his dream. He deserves it. His journey is incredibly inspiring.”
