By Alireza Akbari
In a marquee sports event with the participation of 4,328 athletes from 160 countries, Iran finished in 14th place with a total of 25 medals, including 8 gold, 10 silver, and 7 bronze.
Iranian athletes excelled in multiple disciplines, demonstrating their extraordinary skills and perseverance to secure 12 medals in athletics, 4 in powerlifting, 3 in taekwondo and 3 in archery.
Notably, the Iranian female athletes left an indelible mark on the Paris Games with their stupendous performances, especially in track and field events.
With 12 female athletes in the fray, Iran’s delegation had its second-highest female participation in Paris. They shattered records to win 6 medals—an unprecedented feat for female Iranian Paralympians.
Iran's best performance in the Paralympic Games came at Tokyo 2020, where a 62-member contingent competed across 10 sports and bagged 24 medals—12 gold, 11 silver, and 1 bronze.
At the Rio 2016 Paralympics, Iran secured 24 medals, with 8 gold, 9 silver, and 7 bronze, matching their total from the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where they won 24 medals (10 gold, 7 silver, and 7 bronze).
Iran made its Paralympic debut at the 1988 Seoul Games, where its athletes walked away with 4 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals, a decent performance that only got better with time.
At the Barcelona 1992 Paralympics, only 29 athletes represented Iran, securing 4 medals. In contrast, Iran's highest-ever representation was at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, with a squad of 111 athletes competing in different sports.
The 2024 Summer Paralympics, also known as Paris 2024, mark the 17th edition of the Paralympic Games. This international multi-sport event, organized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), was held in Paris, France, from August 28 to September 8, 2024.
With 168 participating delegations, Paris 2024 set a new record, surpassing the previous high of 164 from London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. The 2020 Games in Tokyo also saw the largest number of athletes in Paralympic history, with 4,393 competitors.
As a tribute to the city's iconic landmark, the front of the Paralympic medals this year featured a hexagonal piece of scrap iron from the Eiffel Tower, engraved with the Paris 2024 emblem.
The torch relay for Paris 2024 was split into 12 segments, passing through 12 cities across France and culminating in the lighting of the Paralympic cauldron on August 28.
The opening ceremony, held at the Place de la Concorde, was historic as the first Paralympic ceremony that took place outside of a stadium.
Here is the list of gold medalists from Iran at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games:
- Sareh Javanmardi (10m air pistol SH1)
Iranian sharpshooter and veteran Paralympian Sareh Javanmardi secured gold in the P2 10m air pistol SH1 event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Javanmardi advanced to the final with a qualifying score of 570 points.
In a thrilling final, she outperformed her Turkish opponent Aysel Özgan, posting a score of 236.8 to claim the first spot and confirm her gold medal.
This victory marked Javanmardi’s fourth Paralympic gold and fifth overall medal.
She previously won bronze at the 2012 London Paralympics, followed by two golds at Rio 2016 (individual and mixed events), and another gold at Tokyo 2020.
- Amir Hossein Alipour (Shot put F11)
Iranian para-athlete and young shot putter Amir Hossein Alipour, 22, clinched gold in the men's shot put F11 category at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Alipour's fifth throw reached an impressive distance of 14.78 meters, securing his victory after six attempts. Earlier in the same competition, his second throw of 14.71 meters shattered the Asian para-athletic record.
Alipour’s triumph at Paris 2024 was the continuation of a pattern of achievements, having won three gold medals in discus, shot put, and javelin at the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games in Bahrain.
He added one more gold to his bucket at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, firmly establishing himself as a force to reckon with in para-athletics.
- Saeed Afrouz (Javelin F34)
Saeed Afrooz dominated the F34 men's javelin event at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, winning gold and breaking both the world and Paralympic records three times.
Competing against formidable athletes from China, Colombia, Morocco, Brazil, and Iraq, Afrouz delivered a remarkable performance and recorded his name in history books.
Fourth in the lineup, Afrouz shattered the world and Paralympic records with each of his first three throws covering distances of 40.18 meters, 40.67 meters, and finally 41.16 meters.
This final throw won him the gold, a repeat of his heroics at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Afrouz’s gold in Paris further cemented his status as an Iranian javelin legend.
- Rouhollah Rostami (80kg para powerlifting)
Legendary para powerlifter Rouhollah Rostami secured Iran's fourth gold and 20th overall medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics with an incredible lift of 242kg in the men's 80kg para powerlifting event, setting a new world and Paralympic record.
His final lift surpassed his own previous world record, set in Thailand in 2021, by 1 kilogram.
Competing at the La Chapelle Arena, Rostami started strongly by effortlessly lifting 230kg in his first attempt, followed by 234kg in the second attempt.
On his third attempt, Rostami opted for 242kg and comfortably completed the lift, securing his place as the unbeatable world champion and rewriting the record books.
Rostami is no stranger to Paralympic success. He previously won gold in the 80kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and earned a silver medal in the 67.5kg weight class at the London 2012 Games.
- Sitting volleyball team
Iran's national sitting volleyball team secured its eighth Paralympic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games, defeating Bosnia 3-1 in a high-adrenaline final.
The team bounced back strongly after losing the first set to seal the championship.
Before the final, Iran defeated Ukraine, Brazil, and Germany in the preliminary stage, and Egypt in the semi-finals, showing why they are virtually unconquerable.
Here’s a look at the sitting volleyball team’s Paralympic record:
1988 Seoul Paralympics: Gold medal
1992 Barcelona Paralympics: Gold medal
1996 Atlanta Paralympics: Gold medal
2000 Sydney Paralympics: Gold medal
2004 Athens Paralympics: Silver medal
2008 Beijing Paralympics: Gold medal
2012 London Paralympics: Silver medal
2016 Rio Paralympics: Gold medal
2020 Tokyo Paralympics: Gold medal
2024 Paris Paralympics: Gold medal
- Yasin Khosravi (Shot put F57)
Yasin Khosravi bagged Iran’s sixth gold medal and 22nd overall medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics in the men’s F57 shot put with a record-breaking shot.
Khosravi dominated the event, breaking the Paralympic record four times throughout the competition and finishing with a best throw of 15.96 meters.
Competing against 11 athletes, Khosravi started strong, recording 15.26 meters in his first throw to break the Paralympic record.
He followed it up with a throw of 15.87 meters in his second attempt, improving the record yet again. On his third throw, he set a new mark of 15.94 meters, and in his fourth, he threw 15.96 meters to break the Paralympic record for the fourth time.
Despite a slight dip in his final two throws (15.57 meters and 15.94 meters), Khosravi secured the gold medal with his record-breaking 15.96-meter throw, solidifying his position at the top of the F57 shot put standings.
- Aliakbar Gharibshahi (Para powerlifting -107kg)
Gharibshahi delivered an awe-inspiring performance in the men’s -107kg para powerlifting event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, securing Iran’s seventh gold and 24th medal.
He set both new Paralympic and world records en route to the gold.
Facing fierce competitors from his competitors from the UAE, Brazil, Malaysia, the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia, Gharibshahi lifted 247 kg in his first attempt, breaking the Paralympic record.
He went on to lift 252 kg in his second attempt, setting another record. Though he missed 261 kg in his third, his 252 kg lift secured the gold. Mongolia took silver, and Mexico claimed bronze.
- Ahmad Aminzadeh (Para powerlifting +107kg)
Aminzadeh secured Iran’s eighth gold and 25th overall medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, stamping his authority in the men’s +107kg para powerlifting event.
In his debut Paralympic appearance, Aminzadeh totally dominated the competition, lifting 253 kg in his first attempt, establishing a 13 kg lead over his closest rival.
He maintained his momentum by successfully lifting 258 kg in his second attempt. For his final lift, Aminzadeh tackled 263 kg, earning three white lights from the judges to clinch the gold with a record of 263 kg.
Ukraine and Georgia claimed silver and bronze, lifting 251 kg and 250 kg, respectively.
In a controversial move, Iranian para athlete Sadeq Beit Sayyah, who secured gold and set a new Paralympic record in the men's F41 javelin throw at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, had his medal snatched away by the organizers for flashing a religious flag.
The ruling drew criticism as his performance was one of the highlights for Iran in the competition.
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