Iran’s taekwondo medals at Paris Olympics due to ‘unity’ in team: Ex-world champion

By Alireza Akbari

A former taekwondo world champion has hailed the performance of Iran’s taekwondo athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, attributing it to “'consensus and unity” in the team.

In an exclusive interview with the Press TV website, Behzad Khodadad, a former world champion in taekwondo who presently coaches the new generation of taekwondo athletes, congratulated Iran’s four-team taekwondo team for bringing laurels to the country.

Iran was represented by 40 athletes at the marquee sporting event in Paris – that commenced on July 26 and culminated on August 11 – including 29 men and 11 women, competing in 13 sports.

Four of them were taekwondo athletes, two men and two women, and all of them bagged medals.

While Arian Salimi won gold in the men's taekwondo +80kg, the first taekwondo gold for Iran in 16 years, his teammate Mehran Barkhordari bagged silver in the men's taekwondo 80kg final.

Nahid Kiani also scripted history by becoming the first Iranian taekwondo athlete to bring home Olympic silver in women’s taekwondo 57kg.

Mobina Netamzadeh, the debutant Olympian, won bronze in women’s taekwondo 57kg.

Khodadad, the 2001 world taekwondo champion, said the key to the success of Iran’s taekwondo delegation at the Paris 2024 Olympics was “consensus and unity.”

The “collective spirit and cohesion” among athletes and officials at the biggest sporting event, he noted, significantly enhanced the performance of athletes who competed for medals in different categories.

He emphasized that "bolstering team morale" is pivotal for athletes’ preparedness and success, particularly under the leadership of Hadi Saei, head of the Iranian Taekwondo Federation.

"Under Saei’s guidance, a remarkable atmosphere of consensus and unity has developed over the past two years," Khodadad told the Press TV website.

“In fact, he (Saei) even trained alongside these athletes,” he said, asserting that Saei’s involvement served as a powerful motivator for team members as they geared up for the Paris Olympics.

Khodadad also acknowledged the influence of team coach Majid Aflaki, saying his presence instilled a “fighting spirit” among the athletes, further contributing to their success at the Paris 2024 games.

The legendary Iranian taekwondo star termed the achievements of Iranian taekwondo athletes at the Paris Olympics as “excellent,” noting that even the most optimistic forecasts could not have anticipated such outstanding results.

“Mehran Barkhordari navigated through three to four challenging matches, each as formidable as the final bout of the competition. Arian Salimi exemplified hard work and reaped the rewards of his dedication. Mobina Nematzadeh and Nahid Kiani also showcased admirable performances, holding their own against tough opponents,” he said, speaking about the four athletes.