Young gun Beiranvand confident of Olympic success
Iran’s shooting prodigy Mohammad Beiranvand says the Olympic medal will be within his reach, should he “live up to my potentials” at the upcoming Games in Paris.
Beiranvand, 16, will be the youngest participant in the shooting competitions of sporting extravaganza, representing the country in the men’s trap contests – starting July 29 in the Chateauroux Shooting Center.
The young Iranian stole the show in January’s Asian Shotgun Championships in Kuwait, where he grabbed the individual gold and then paired with Marzieh Parvareshnia for the mixed team silver.
His gold secured him a place in Paris and now the teenage sensation will be eager to build on the success to notch up a second shooting medal for the country in the history of the Olympics – following Javad Foroughi, who walked away with the gold in the Men’s 10m air pistol event in Tokyo three years ago.
“Thank God I could seal a first trap quota for the country and I’ll hope to deliver my best in Paris and win the most colorful medal,” Beiranvand said on Thursday.
“The Olympics are the biggest sporting event and all participants will have their sights set on one target, though only one will eventually walk away with the ultimate prize.
Asked about his chances of an Olympic medal, Beiranvand said: “I have no doubt about that. I’m confident about my skills and I’ll just have to live up to my potentials to leave Paris with a medal. I know I’m even capable of winning the gold if everything plays into my favor on the day of the competition.”
Beiranvand will the sole Iranian male shooter in Paris while Haniyeh Rostamian, Shermineh Chehel-Amirani, and Fatemeh Aminipajouh will be part of the women’s draw.
A total of 340 shooters, representing 81 countries, will be joined by two athletes from the IOC refugee team in chasing the Olympic glory across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines from July 27 – August 5.