Iranian shooter Tavassolikhah targets grandest prize of them all
By Amirhadi Arsalanpour
Staff writer
High-profile Iranian shooter Abdolreza Tavassolikhah says he has already set sights on the ultimate prize at the Los Angeles Paralympics in four-years’ time.
A mixed trap world No. 5 in the latest ranking released by the global governing body of the sport, Tavassolikhah has numerous world titles under his belt but is “unfortunate to play no part in this summer’s Games in Paris after the discipline was not named in the event’s program.”
“I’ll still keep working hard to make sure I’ll be part of the Iranian squad in LA 2028,” said the 44-year-old, who will have a shot at adding further glory to his decorated trophy cabinet in June, when he takes part at the WSPS World Championships in Granada, Spain – a familiar territory for the former world number one.
Tavassolikhah won the silver at the tournament in Al Ain, the United Arab Emirates, in 2022.
The Iranian’s maiden international appearance came in an international Grand Prix in Italy in 2014, where he won the silver before claiming the WSPS World Cup gold three years later.
Representing the country in the PT1 trap seated mixed SG-S contests, Tavassolikhah delivered a perfect performance in the final two rounds in the Italian city of Lonato, finishing with 40 points – a world record in the discipline to date.
“There are few disabled trap shooters in the country, which is why I’ve had to compete with non-disabled contestants and I even managed to win several medals at the national events,” said Tavassolikhah, also a 2022 World Cup champion in South Korea.
“The global regulations of the sport do not keep the disabled shooters from competing with the able-bodied athletes,” added the Iranian.
A former member of the Iranian alpine ski team, before a car accident in 2007 changed his life forever, says the new chapter in his career all started with watching the Olympic Games.
“I was recovering from a plastic surgery on my bedsores and had to be quarantined in my room, where most of my time was spent in front of the television,” said Tavassolikhah, adding: “I was watching the shooting contests of the London 2012 and that’s when I first thought of embarking on a new sporting challenge in my life.”
Only five months on and Tavassolikhah was taking on non-disabled shooters in a grade B national competition.
“I won the gold medal, much to the surprise of everyone at the tournament, and during the following six months I collected several more medals in the grade A competitions in the country,” said the Iranian shooter.
“The journey has been full of twists and turns. It was quite a daunting challenge to learn the trades of the sport, as there was no trap shooter on a wheelchair in Iran prior to me,” said Tavassolikhah, who has been no stranger to overcoming the obstacles toward success.