Iranian Paralympic archers won a silver medal in the mixed team recurve open competitions of the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on September 11.
In a close encounter, the Iranian team with Zahra Nemati, 31, and Ebrahim Ranjbar, 46, lost to China 5-3 in the final match to grab Iran's third silver medal, varzesh3.ir reported.
"It was a fine final and I performed much better than the previous contests," Nemati said after the final competition adding that they expected to win gold but lost it in the last stage.
Nemati is the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal as she won individual recurve in London four years ago.
Her performance at the 2015 Asian Archery Championships in Thailand ensured her qualification for both the Rio Olympics and Paralympics. She was Iran’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony in Rio in August.
First Timer Wins Medal
On Saturday Iran’s discus thrower Alireza Ghaleh Nasseri won a silver medal at the athletics competitions.
The 25-year-old registered a throw of 44.04 meters while the Brazilian-Spanish contestant Claudiney Batista dos Santos stood atop the podium with a winning throw of 45.33 meters.
"This was my first appearance in an official international tournament and I am happy with my performance; even though I had managed to record a throw of 47.60 meters while training for the Paralympics," Ghaleh Nasseri said after the contest.
The Iranian delegation won one gold medal by shooter Sareh Javanmardi and another silver by the shot putter Saman Pakbaz.
By the end of the fourth day of the games, Iran collected four medals, one gold and three silvers, and stands on the 32nd spot in the medal table.
Iran is participating in the Paralympics with 111 athletes in 12 fields. In the 2012 London Games, it finished 11th with a total of 24 medals - 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze.
China is on the top of the medal table with 92 medals followed by Britain (56 medals) and Ukraine (49). The US, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany and Tunisia are placed in the 4th to 10th places respectively.
With seven days remaining, Iranian athletes are hopeful of more victories.
