Iranian Hodaei building on table tennis success at Asian Games
By Mahdiyeh Qazvinian
Staff writer
Few Iranians would argue that the final outcome at the recently-finished Hangzhou Asian Games in China was quite what the country’s Sport Ministry and the National Olympic Committee had hoped for prior to the multi-sport event.
En route to a seventh-place finish in the medals table, Iran’s 285-athlete delegation bagged 13 golds across the 15 days – seven short of the figure the Iranians tallied to end in the sixth spot in Jakarta-Palembang 2018, while it was the lowest for the country since 2006, when Iran grabbed 11 gold medals in Doha.
For all the below-par runs in certain competitions – namely football, weightlifting, and shooting – the country’s sporting apparatus still had reasons for joy in other events, in which the Iranians enjoyed some historic achievements.
While Iran celebrated maiden medals in mountain cycling, chess, roller skating, and the artistic gymnastics, the table tennis squad ended country’s decades-long drought at the Asian Games, leaving Hangzhou with a couple of bronze medals.
Amirhossein Hodaei was part of the Iranian trio, alongside Nima and Noshad Alamian, that stood third in the men’s team contests, before the Alamian brothers grabbed a doubles bronze.
“It was a massive achievement for the Iranian table tennis as the two bronzes brought an end to the country’s 65-year wait for a medal at the Asian Games,” Hodaei, who is now in Paris to participate in the French league, said in an interview with Iran Daily.
Suffering a 3-1 loss to Hong Kong, the Iranian team emphatically defeated Bahrain and Mongolia for the runner-up spot in the group and a place in the round of 16, where Iran also came out on top in straight matchups against Vietnam.
The pinnacle of Iran’s campaign, however, came in the last-eight clash against table tennis powerhouse Japan, which was decided by three nail-biting victories for the Iranians, including Hodaei’s five-game win against Maharu Yoshimura – a winner of six team and doubles medals at the World Championships as well as a team silver at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
“No one really expected this victory as the Japanese are among the top teams across the globe, but we gave it our all against them. We had a great team sprit throughout the Games. I wonder if this triumph will ever be repeated again,” said the 25-year-old Iranian.
Iran’s fairytale run ended after a 3-0 semifinal setback against South Korea, which saw the country share the third podium with the Chinese Taipei, while the host came out victorious against the South Koreans in the final showdown.
“To win a medal at an Asian event takes a lot of effort as China, South Korea and Japan are the dominant forces of the sport worldwide. Thank God we won the medal, which will hopefully lead to the fans and sporting setup in the country offering more support to the Iranian table tennis from now on.”
The success in Hangzhou summed up years of hard work for the Iranian, who first came to prominence on the global stage in 2019, when he finished the year as the top-ranked men’s under-21 player in the ITTF World Ranking – a feat described by Hodaei as “the best thing that had ever happened to me in my life.”
“That helped me continue my career overseas. I went to the German league in 2019 and then played in Hungary, Spain, and Sweden before moving to France two and a half years ago.
“I come from a sporting family. My father was a wrestler and my younger brother is also a table tennis athlete. I first started playing table tennis for fun in a park near our home when I was 11, but everyone who watched me playing encouraged me to continue in the completive sport, and then after three years of playing as a professional I joined the Iranian team at the age of 20.”
Next for Hodaei and his Iranian teammates are the 2024 World Championships in Busan, South Korea in February.
“The event will also serve as the qualification tournament for the Paris Olympics. A top-10 spot will secure a direct qualification for the Games and I’m sure we’ll achieve that, given the talent and quality in our team,” Hodaei said.
Asked who he would dedicate his latest medal to, Hodaei said: “My family, of course, and Hamid Ehsani-Mehr, who not only has covered a substantial share of my expenses in some international tournaments, but has also been a great friend and father figure throughout my career.”