Asian Youth Para Games:
Powerlifting, swimming glory headline Iran’s medal sweep on Day 3
Iranian athletes continued their medal-laden campaign on the third day of the Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, achieving success in powerlifting and swimming events on Friday.
Reza Enayatollahi and Amirali Es’haqnia delivered record-breaking performances, adding double golds to Iran’s para powerlifting medal haul, while the Iranian boys collected an impressive 61 medals across various swimming categories.
Enayatollahi posted a new world junior record of 205kg to claim the ultimate prize in the boys’ 107kg category, while Es’haqnia shattered the world cadet record in the boys’ +107kg class, lifting 175kg with his fourth attempt en route to gold.
The two golds capped off a remarkable powerlifting run for Iran, which finished with 20 medals, including nine golds, in Dubai – among them three women’s golds won by Zahra Pouladi, Mahdiyeh Ehsani, and Atiyeh Hosseini.
Elsewhere, Sepanta Navidi, Sepehr Seifi, Ali Houshmandi, Ali Hassanzadeh, Taha Azizi, Seyyed Erfan Ja’fari, Abolfazl Zarifpour, and Mohammad-Taha Baqeri continued Iran’s flying start in para swimming, claiming 14 golds across different categories.
Friday’s results came after Iranians had collected 41 medals on the preceding day of competition. The highlight of Iran’s second-day success came in para armwrestling, where the country bagged 32 medals, including eight golds.
Iranian girls Vida Jabbarzadeh and Kowsar Qaraei, who each won two golds, along with Reihaneh Roustaei and Fatemeh Hazbian, were joined by male teammate Ali Nozhati – who also grabbed two gold medals – in securing top honors in their respective categories.
In 3x3 wheelchair basketball, the Iranian men’s team – comprising Mohammad-Taha Yarmohammadi, Fo’aad Mozaffari Afkham, Abolfazl Jalaei, and Amirmahdi Yousefi – defeated Japan 15-9 in the final to win gold.
The Iranian female team – represented by Zahra Nasri, Roqayeh Salehi, Roqayeh Amiri, and Fatemeh Molaei – settled for silver after a 13-7 final loss to Thailand.