Dear John,
With only a few days left in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, NIAC has got you covered with a recap of the games so far and a peak at the matches coming up over the next couple of days.
Four Medals and counting ….. 🏅🏅
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Of the sixty-five athletes Iran sent to Tokyo, four have medaled so far. Javad Foroughi won the first gold medal, winning the Men’s 10 meter air pistol competition. The former nurse maintained his lead throughout the entire competition and eventually shattered the previous Olympic record scoring 244.8, becoming the oldest Olympic medalist in Iranian history.
Traditionally for Iran, sports like wrestling and weightlifting are among the country's proudest traditions and the Summer Olympics present the perfect opportunity for Iranian athletes to show what they can do on the international stage. In the past century, nineteen of Iran’s twenty-two gold medals have come from either wrestling or weightlifting, as well as 62 of their 70 total medals across all Olympics competitions–and this year is no different.
Ali Davoudi , who holds the junior world records for both snatch and clean & jerk, amazed onlookers winning the silver and coming in second only to Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze who set Olympic and World Records in one of the greatest Olympic weightlifting performances of all time. 97kg, Iranian Greco-Roman wrestler, Mohammad Hadi Saravi added to Iran’s medal count, clutching up a bronze medal in the 9-2 win against Finnish Arvi Matin Savolani. Asian Champion Mohammed Reza Geraei wrestled his way through some of the world’s toughest competition with ease, defeating three of four opponents by five points or more and winning the final gold medal match by technical superiority, bringing Iran’s total medal count to four as of August 4th. That being said, Reza Atri and Hassan Yazdani are preparing to compete for a bronze and gold medal respectively, so this count may be due to change in the next 24 hours. 👀👀
Basketball Diplomacy 🏀🏀
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Iran’s basketball team returned to the Olympics after a twelve year hiatus and held their own against some of the world’s best teams in the United States and France, while also demonstrating an incredible show of sportsmanship in their second match against the United States. After the game, both sides congratulated one another for a game well-played, and USA Coach Grerg Popovich, widely considered one of the best coaches in the history of the sport, lauded the system that the Iranian coaches had installed, complimented the way the opponents ran their offense, and wished Iran well after the game.
Iranians Abroad 🌎🌎
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We are proud of our Iranians no matter what flag they are competing under. Kimia Alizadeh , who became the first Iranian woman to win a gold medal in 2016, went on to compete in the Taekwondo final before ultimately falling short to Hatice Kübra İlgün. Kimia was joined by Iranian athletes Saeid Fazloula , Javad Mahjoub , Hamoon Derafshipour , and Dina Pouryounes under the IOC banner. Fellow female Taekwondoin Dina Pouryounes was knocked out in the Round of 16. Saeed Fazoula was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the men's K-1 1000 metres sprint canoeing event, while judoka Javad Mahjoub lost to the Czech Lukáš Krpálek who would go on to win the gold medal for the heavyweight judo division. Iranian karateka Hamoon Derafshipour has yet to compete, but will be looking to medal in his first ever Olympics tournament. His first match will take place on August 5 at 11:05 PM EST .
For a more detailed breakdown of Iran’s Olympic performance, a spotlight on our amazing Iranian female competitors, and a background on the upcoming matches, check out a full overview of the 2020 games here. [[link removed]]
We can't wait to see how Iranian athletes finish out these summer games.
Best,
Team NIAC
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