Taekwondo player Kimia Alizadeh could be forced to retire following an injury that ruled her out from competing in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, according to her coach Mahroo Komrani.
Alizadeh, who had been selected to become the first woman to carry Iran’s flag at the opening ceremony of the games before being replaced by shooter Elaheh Ahmadi, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during training for the second time in 13 months, Insidethegames.biz wrote.
Komrani fears she could likely announce permanent retirement from the sport.
“For someone who has undergone surgery several times, it is very difficult to return to the sport again,” she said.
Alizadeh made history by becoming the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic medal when she claimed bronze in the under-57kg category in the Rio 2016.
The Iranian then moved up to the under-63kg class for last year’s World Taekwondo Championships in Muju in South Korea where she won silver, losing out in the final to Ruth Gbagbi from the Ivory Coast.
Her career suffered a setback in July 2017, when she suffered an ACL injury, and the Asian Games was supposed to be her comeback.
Ahmadi, Alizadeh’s replacement as Iran’s flagbearer, is a four-time Asian Games medalist having won three medals - two silvers and a bronze - at Guangzhou 2010 and a silver at Incheon 2014.
The opening ceremony of the Asian Games is due Saturday at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The event is scheduled to run until September 2.
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