TEHRAN - Iran won four medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with Mahdi Olfati taking silver in the men’s vault to repeat his runner-up finish from the previous edition of the continental Games.
In artistic gymnastics, Olfati delivered two vaults in the final on Friday, scoring 15.100 and 13.966 for an average of 14.533. He finished just 0.066 points behind Olympic champion Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who claimed gold.
The silver marked Olfati’s second consecutive Asian Games medal in the event. He also won silver in the vault at the previous edition.
Iran had earlier secured another gymnastics silver through Arman Khodaei, who finished second in the men’s pommel horse final.
The country added a bronze in shooting in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event.
Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Vahid Golkhandan combined to finish third in the final. They scored 415.8 points, behind India and the Republic of Korea.
Iran’s fourth medal came in Canoe Sprint, where Ali Aghamirezaei and Peyman Ghavidel won bronze in the men’s Kayak Double 500m.
The Iranian pair clocked 1:32.869 to finish third. South Korea won gold in 1:31.859, while Japan took silver in 1:32.176.
Meanwhile, the medal haul was tempered by a controversial disqualification of Iranian heptathlete Fatemeh Mohitizadeh.
Mohitizadeh had been leading the women’s heptathlon after the opening day and remained in medal contention after six events. She recorded 5.97 meters in the long jump and 36.41 meters in the javelin throw.
However, she was disqualified after officials claimed that her shoes did not meet the regulations. The ruling was made retroactive to the long jump event, ending her competition with only the 800m remaining.
Iran now ranks 6th in the medals table with a haul of six gold, 11 silver, and six bronze medals.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games are being held from September 19 to October 4 across venues in Japan, with around 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports.
Iran’s delegation, named “Minab Angels”—a tribute to the victims of the US-Israeli attack on Shajareh Tayyebe Elementary School in Minab on February 28—is competing at the Games with 305 athletes across 38 sports.