Aichi-Nagoya 2026:
Alipour to chase third Asian Games gold as Iran confirms climbing duo
Iranian speed sensation Reza Alipour is set to vie for a third successive Asian Games gold medal after the country confirmed its sport climbing duo for Aichi-Nagoya 2026, which will kick off with the opening ceremony on September 19.
Reza Zarei, chairman of the Iran Mountaineering & Sport Climbing Federation, made the announcement earlier this week, adding that Alipour will be joined by Sarina Ghaffari, who will compete in the women’s boulder event.
“Alipour was a gold medalist in the previous two editions in Jakarta and Hangzhou, and holds a significant advantage over other contenders in the country, which is why he was selected for the men’s speed event at the Asian Games,” Zarei said.
A 2018 world champion and a gold medalist at the World Games, the 32-year-old Alipour was nicknamed ‘Persian Cheetah’ and ‘Usain Bolt of speed climbing’ when footage of him scaling the 15-meter wall in 5.48 seconds – a then-world record – at the 2017 Climbing World Cup went viral on social media.
The Iranian, who also has an Asian Championships gold and six World Cup titles to his name, was unfortunate to miss out on a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics after falling to American Sam Watson in the bronze-medal race.
Alipour, however, will have to improve his game if he is to succeed at the multi-sport event, after he endured a below-par run at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, last month, suffering last-16 exits in both the individual and relay events.
Meanwhile, Ghaffari, 20, will look to build on a decent run of performances over the past couple of years – most notably a gold-winning campaign at the 2024 Asian Youth Championships – in chasing Asian Games glory at the Nagoya International Exhibition Hall.
“We wanted to have more climbers in the Iranian delegation, but under the technical committee’s policies, the decision was made to stick with two competitors. I just hope they will both be in peak form by the time they head to the Asian Games,” Zarei said.