Chengdu 2025 World Games:
Iran’s Lesani settles for roller-skating bronze
The roller-skating event of the Chengdu 2025 World Games was hardly a memorable one for Iran after the country managed to win only a single bronze medal across the men’s and women’s competitions.
Reza Lesani, who won a bronze at the Asian Roller Skating Championship in July, came out on top in successive races against Mohammad Savari in an all-Iranian third-place contest to finish behind gold winner Zhang Hao and his fellow-Chinese Fu Yu in the men’s inline freestyle speed slalom.
Iranian girls Romina Salek and Taraneh Ahmadi, meanwhile, finished their campaign empty-handed on in the women’s speed slalom event.
Former world-record holder Salek, who bagged a precious gold medal at June’s Hero Battle Cup in Milan, missed out on the podium after a 2-1 loss to Wen Jingjing of China.
Asian silver medalist Ahmadi had to settle for a joint-fifth spot after she suffered an early exit against Salek in the quarterfinals.
Liu Chiao-hsi of the Chinese Taipei, who beat Ahmadi to the gold at the Asian Championship last month, repeated her success by defeating China’s Zhu Siyi in the final.
Lesani’s bronze added a seventh medal to Iran’s haul at The World Games.
Iranian karateka Sara Bahmanyar grabbed the women’s kumite -50kg gold, while Shahin Banitalebi (men’s nanquan-nangun) and Yasaman Baqerzadeh (women’s 70kg) walked away with the ultimate prize in their respective events at the wushu competitions.
A sole silver medal for the country also came in wushu as Mohammadreza Rigi fell to a final defeat against Egyptian Alhussein Wahdan in the men’s sanda 85kg showdown.
Soheila Mansourian (women’s sanda 60kg) and Saleh Abazari (men’s kumite +84kg) were the other Iranian bronze medalists in Chengdu.
Featuring 34 sports and 60 disciplines that are not contested at the Olympic Games, the 12th edition of The World Games will conclude with closing ceremony today.