25th Summer Deaflympics:
Salahshour gets Iran off the mark with judo bronze
Ali Salahshour bagged Iran’s first medal at the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, securing a judo bronze on the second day of the multi-sport event.
Representing the country in the men’s -66kg class, Salahshour began his campaign with a victory over Turkish judoka Mehmet Emin Budak and then emerged victorious against South Korean Lee Juho to progress to the semifinals.
Salahshour suffered a last-four setback to Algeria’s Abderrahmane Bouhidel but recovered to defeat the host’s Masaki Sato for a consolation bronze medal.
Amirmohammad Daftari (-73kg) and 17-year-old Ali Sheikh (-60kg) were the other Iranian judokas in the men’s action on Sunday but finished outside the medals following third-place defeats in their respective weight classes.
Iran is represented by 83 athletes – including 19 female contestants – competing in football, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, athletics, karate, taekwondo, shooting, judo, bowling, badminton, table tennis, swimming, and beach volleyball at the 25th edition of the Summer Deaflympics.
Iran achieved its best finish in the medals table at the previous edition in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, coming fourth with 14 golds, 12 silvers, and 14 bronzes.