Kimia Alizadeh Wins Iran's First Women's Olympic Medal in History

Kimia Alizadeh, representing Iran in the 57 kg taekwondo category, won the first Olympic medal for women in Iran's history. The 18-year-old defeated Nikita Glasnovich from Sweden with a score of five to zero, bringing Iran's medal tally at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics to two golds and three bronzes. Given the historical significance and the transformative impact it is expected to have on women's sports in Iran, this bronze medal can be considered the most prestigious in Iran's sports history. Raheleh Asmani, another Iranian taekwondo athlete in this weight category, competes for Belgium after obtaining citizenship there. Like Alizadeh, she reached the bronze medal match but did not win a medal. Alizadeh faced her Swedish opponent wearing a blue helmet and body protector. In the first round, neither taekwondo player scored any points. Her coach, Mehro Kamrani, prepared her for the next round. In the second round, Alizadeh scored the first point and then secured a second point. During the break, the voices of the male national taekwondo team's coaches and their technical instructions could be heard from the stands. The third round continued with Alizadeh scoring again, leading the Iranian representative to a five-zero advantage. From that moment on, the Swedish martial artist attempted to score with continuous attacks but was unsuccessful, and the match ended with the same five-point lead. In her first match, Alizadeh defeated former world champion Ana Zaninovic from Croatia with a score of 8-7. In her second match, in the quarter-finals, she lost to Eva Calvo Gomez, the second-ranked athlete in the world from Spain. Her inexperience prevented her from reaching the finals, and she cried in disappointment. With Gomez advancing to the finals, Alizadeh entered the repechage round and won her first match against a Thai fighter with a score of 14-10. Hadiya Malek from Egypt also claimed another bronze medal in this weight class by defeating Raheleh Asmani. Representatives from Britain and Spain reached the finals in this weight category. Jade Jones, who had also won gold in the London Olympics, stood on the Olympic podium again. Notably, Kimia Alizadeh has previously defeated Jones. The medal-winning national athlete from Iran told reporters, 'After a month and a half, I jumped on my foot for the first time because I had a severe injury. The medical staff and my coach worked hard for me to reach these competitions, and thank God it happened, and I was able to make history.' Alizadeh added, 'I am happy for Iranian girls because a path has opened for women in Iran to win medals in future Olympics. I hope to see more colorful medals.' Regarding her failure to reach the finals, she said, 'If the kick I landed on Gomez had been counted, I would have been in the finals now. I feel sorry for the efforts my parents and the federation made for me.' When reporters asked how she felt, Alizadeh replied, 'I made history in world competitions, youth Olympics, and youth world championships, and this was the fifth time I made history.'