Iranian roller skaters win two world speed slalom golds
The first day of the Inline Freestyle World Championships saw three Iranian roller skaters bag three speed slalom medals – including double golds – in Shanghai, China.
Representing the country in the senior men’s contests, Reza Lesani clocked 4.453 seconds in the final to beat the host’s Zhang Hao – a silver winner at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October – for the ultimate prize.
The gold medal came as relief for the Iranian, who left Hangzhou empty-handed after a third-place defeat despite having a third-best time in the preliminary round.
Romina Salek also bounced back from the Asian Games disappointment to claim the gold medal in the junior women’s event on her return to China.
A world-record holder in the women’s category with 4.254 seconds – established at the Asian Games – Salek defeated Yao Yixuan by milliseconds in Thursday’s final – registering 4.756 seconds against the Chinese’s 4.785.
Salek was unlucky to miss out on the podium in Hangzhou, falling short in the bronze medal race.
Meanwhile, Taraneh Ahmadi, who stole the headlines in the Iranian media when she won a precious silver in the Asian Games, had to settle for a bronze in the senior women speed slalom competition.
Asian Games champion Liu Chiao-Hsi of the Chinese Taipei defeated her compatriot Ting Yu-En – bronze winner in Hangzhou – for the gold.
Iranian Mojdeh Sha’bani finished fifth in the women’s speed slalom contests.