Iran crowned as champions of inaugural Junior Kabaddi World Championship

The 2019 Junior Kabaddi World Championship came to a thrilling end as hosts Iran defeated Kenya in the summit clash by a 42-22 margin to emerge as the inaugural season champions of the competition.

Iran made a solid start to the match with a 10-point lead in the first ten minutes of the game. Kenya's raiders tried their level best to gain raid points but had no answers against the strong Iranian defence.

With an energetic crowd cheering for the hosts, the offence led by Amir Hossein Bastami managed to inflict early all-outs on Kenya. The score read 22-8 by the end of the first half.

Kenya's raiders couldn't score points against the Iranian defenders

Kenya struggled as Iranians raced away to a healthy 29-point lead before the final ten minutes of the game. Victor Obiero-led Kenya showed some signs of a comeback by inflicting an All Out over Iran, but they were far behind the score. Iran could only manage to score four points in the final ten minutes but had done well to consolidate a big lead early on in the game.

Kenya should be proud of their efforts as they finished as runners-up, while Pakistan clinched the bronze medal. Earlier, Iran defeated Bangladesh 52-20 while Kenya overcame a stiff challenge from Pakistan to win by a 49-39 in the two semifinals of the tournament.

Iran posing with 2019 Junior Kabaddi World Championship trophy

With an exciting five-day event having come to a thrilling finish, it is safe to say that the inaugural Junior Kabaddi World Championship has certainly set a benchmark for youngsters from across the globe to take up the sport.

Not to forget, Iran lived up to the reputation of the pre-favourites tag, as they finished with the top honours and continued to assert their country's domination in the sport.