Iran’s national men's volleyball team has qualified for the quarterfinal round after beating Egypt 3-0 in the preliminary round on Saturday, August 13, keeping the hope alive for a possible medal in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Only a day after the Iranian weightlifter Kianoush Rostami won the first gold medal in the men’s 85 kg category on Friday, beating his own world record by one kilogram, the national volleyball team beat Egypt in three consecutive sets (28-26, 25-22, and 25-16), as reported by rio2016.com.
After defeating Cuba in the third match of the round, Iran has kept hopes of a quarterfinal appearance alive after losing their first two matches. Following a bad beginning against Argentina in their first match (0-3), Iran confronted Poland and fought hard, but lost in the last minute (2-3). However, winning two sets against the world powerhouse prepared the Iranians for their next match.
This is the first presence of Iranian volleyball in the Olympic Games in 52 years. They reserved a berth in Rio earlier in June during the Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan.
