Crossword Genius

Country where Everyman was a contender (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

iran

'country' is the definition.
(Iran is an example)

'everyman was a contender' is the wordplay.
'everyman' becomes 'i' (where 'Everyman' is the setter of the crossword).
'was a contender' becomes 'ran'.
'i'+'ran'='IRAN'

'where' is the link.

(Other definitions for iran that I've seen before include "Modern Persia (4)" , "Iraq's neighbour" , "Middle Eastern country" , "Country lying to south of Caspian sea" , "Tehran is its capital" .)

I've seen this clue in The Everyman puzzle in The Observer.
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