Navid Zanganeh is an Iranian wrestler and former member of the Iranian U-23 freestyle wrestling team.
| Navid Zanganeh | |
| Fullname: | Navid Zanganeh |
| Nickname: | cheetah, khabib |
| Native Name: | Persian: نوید زنگنه |
| Birth Date: | 16 July 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Eslamshahr, Iran |
| Weight: | 74kg (163lb) |
| Country: | Iran |
| Sport: | Wrestling |
| Coach: | Alireza Rezaei, Sardar Molavi, Alireza Rezaeimanesh, |
Zanganeh wrestled for club Atrak Khorasan and represented Iran on the world stage.
During the 2018 Senior U23 World Championships in Bucharest Zanganeh earned a bronze medal after defeating Azerbaijani wrestler Ismail Abdullaev.[1]
At the 2019 U-23 Senior Asian Championships Zanganeh won a silver medal after beating opponents from Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan before facing defeat in the finals.[2]
The Takhti freestyle wrestling tournament took place on 7 and 8 February 2019 with representatives from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Armenia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia. Zanganeh placed third and was a part of Iran's overall victory in the tournament.[3]
Zanganeh was shot at anti-government rally in Tehran and was subsequently arrested after being taken to hospital. He was detained for 15 days and was eventually released from Fashafaviye prison.[4] Zanganeh was immediately released from his club Atrak Khorasan and was unable to wrestle for Iran.[5] After the arrest was made public, Zanganeh emigrated to Canada in the hopes to resume his wrestling career representing Canada.[6]
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) gave an announcement which stated that Zanganeh was subjected to a four-year suspension due to a violation of anti-doping regulations. The violation stemmed from the detection of oxandrolone, a prohibited anabolic substance, in a urine sample of Zanganeh. The urine sample was collection during an in-competition sampling session on March 11, 2023. The sanction entails an ineligibility to participate in any sport signatory to the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP) at any capacity (including training with teammates), and concludes on April 24, 2027.[7]
Navid began his MMA career in Vancouver, Canada. His head coach is currently Dan Golkar out of Scorpion MMA in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia.