On the third day of Para Powerlifting Asia-Oceania Open Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, Iran’s team raised its medal count to four after the silver medal won by Rouhollah Rostami.
According to IRNA, the Iranian lifter set the record of 211kg in the up-to-72kg category on Monday to clinch the Asian silver after Iraq’s Rasool Mohsin won gold with 219kg.
Rostami lifted 211kg in his first attempt. His efforts to equalize the Iraqi’s record in the second and third attempts failed and he had to settle for silver.
Peng Hu of China also lifted 211kg but won bronze due to his higher weight compared to the Iranian.
Rostami’s silver is the fourth medal for Iran para powerlifters at the games after Izadi’s two medals (one gold and one bronze), and silver medal of Yousef Yousefi.
Samad Abbasi and Amir Jafari of up-to-65kg category both failed to win medals on Monday.
Siamand Rahman, dubbed as the Iranian Hercules, who holds the world record in the +107kg weight class for lifting 310kg will be the next competitor.
However, he has said he does not want to break his own record but will try to get the gold. As he told Paralympic.org earlier this week, he will try to set a new record in the Asian Para Games in Jakarta next month.
The 2018 Para Powerlifting Asia-Oceania Open Championships will run through September 12. It is the qualification path for all Asian and Oceanian para powerlifters striving to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
