Friday recorded the 21st golden hit for Iran after three final match wins helped the country break the 20-gold tally accomplished during the 2010 Games in China.
Day 14 at Incheon Asian Games stated with two team silver medals for Iran. Both the result of hard work from kabaddi players. First, women's kabaddi team lost 31-21 to their Indian rivals in a replay of the 2012 Kabaddi World Cup Final. Three hours later, it was another Iran-India final, this time an all-men showdown, which was also won by the Indian side, who came from behind to narrowly beat Iran 27-25.
Later in the day, Iran's athletes went on to win another three silver medals, two in boxing and one in karate, before Amir Mehdizadeh fought to bring Friday's first golden cheer to the Iranian camp after easily beating his Jordanian rival in the final bout of karate's own Kumite -60kg category.
Minutes later, Farzan Ashourzadeh defeated hits Kaazkh opponent in taekwondo's flyweight (-58 kg) category to snatch Iran's 20the gold medal at the 17th Asian Games. Then came another silver for Iran as Akram Khodabandeh, in women's taekwondo, lost the final match to her Chinese rival Li Donghua.
There was agony and ecstasy in equal measure for Iran on a final absorbing evening of sporting action at the Asian Games, with a heartbreaking basketball defeat to South Korea followed by a clinical victory over Japan in volleyball.
South Korea, seeking to win their first Basketball gold medal since Busan 2002 beat Iran for a 79-77 victory, the game was over and there were wild celebrations as the host nation added another memorable win to their triumphs in baseball and football earlier in the Games. But Iran made amends in the final event of the evening, living up to their favorites tag to dispatch Japan and take the volleyball title 28-26, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19 and complete a superb two weeks in which the team also finished in a highly creditable sixth place at the World Championship in Poland.
Iran stands fifth in the medals table with 21 golds, 18 silvers, and 17 bronze medals. The Games will come to an end today in South Korea’s northwestern coastal city of Incheon.
Some 9,500 athletes from 45 countries have been competing at the Games. The sports event is the world's second-biggest multi-sport event after the summer Olympics, with 439 gold medals in 36 sports up for grabs.
Iran participated in the tournament with 276 athletes in 22 sports.
