Iran names athletics lineup for Asian Games
The Athletics Federation of Iran has announced the names of the 11 athletes who will represent the country at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
“The track and field athletes were in training camps for more than 18 months and took part in several Grand Prix competitions, record-setting events within the camps, international competitions in Belarus and the national championships in Shiraz. Ultimately, seven male and four female athletes were selected from among these competitors and will be sent to the Asian Games,” Hashem Siami, vice president of the national governing body, told IRNA.
Shot put duo Mohammad Reza Tayebi and Hassan Ajami will be joined by Ali Amirian (800 meters), Sadeq Samimi (discus throw), Hossein Nouri (1,500 meters), Hassan Taftian (100 meters), and Benjamin Yousefi (100 and 200 meters) in the men’s competition, which will kick off at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya on September 23.
Meanwhile, Zahra Salehi (200 and 400 meters), Fatemeh Mohitizadeh (heptathlon), Reyhaneh Mobini (long jump), and Maryam Kazemi (triple jump) will look to secure Iran’s maiden women’s athletics medal in the history of the multi-sport event.
Athletics has been one of the country’s established medal-producing sports at the Asian Games, yielding 13 golds, 16 silvers and 10 bronzes across different editions. Ehsan Haddadi, the federation’s chairman, tops Iran’s list with four golds and one silver in the discus throw between the 2006 and 2022 Games.