Najmeh Khedmati Wins First Gold for Iran's Sports Delegation Again

The 28th World University Games (Universiade) is currently being held in South Korea. In the shooting competitions, Najmeh Khedmati succeeded in winning the first gold medal for Iran's sports delegation. Approximately 13,000 male and female student athletes from 146 countries are participating in these games across twenty sports. On the fourth day of the games, Najmeh Khedmati not only won the gold medal in the women's 10-meter air rifle event but also set a new record for the finals of this competition. Representatives from the Czech Republic and Serbia took the second and third places, respectively. At 19 years old and from Birjand, she had also won the first gold medal for Iran's sports delegation at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. After winning the gold medal at the Universiade, Najmeh Khedmati stated, "I am happy to have succeeded again as the first lady to win a medal for my country's sports delegation. We still have opportunities to win medals in other events." This was not Najmeh's only medal, as she and her teammates also won a bronze medal in the team event of the 10-meter air rifle, marking the first medal for Iran's delegation in these games. China and Serbia won gold and silver, respectively. In the men's 10-meter air rifle preliminary round, Mohammad Hossein Karimi ranked eighteenth, Seyyed Mohammad Reza Sam nineteenth, and Mahyar Sadaqat placed twenty-fourth, all missing out on advancing to the finals. The Iranian student football team is also participating in the games but has suffered two defeats against its Asian rivals, Japan and Malaysia. The team's head coach commented after the loss to Malaysia that it was an unexpected defeat. He believed that the pressure in the first game against Japan affected the players, and their recovery took longer, which is why they did not achieve the desired result. Farshad Karami, whose team is set to face Brazil next, told ISNA that they lost to themselves in this game but still hope to advance, although the task is difficult. He emphasized that the main issue with his team is psychological, as they are real students with no international experience. In volleyball, however, Iran is progressing successfully and does not seem to be facing the psychological issues mentioned by the football coach. The volleyball team won their second group stage match against Switzerland with a score of 3-1, having previously defeated Canada 3-0. Iran played against Switzerland with an initial lineup of Mostafa Sharifat, Mohammad Fallah, Farhad Piroutpour, Alireza Mobasheri, Rasoul Najafi, and Mohammad Moazzen. This team is participating in the Universiade under the guidance of Peyman Akbari. Other Iranian players in the competition include Saeed Shiroud, Ali Asghar Ramzfar, Pouria Fayyazi, Hamidreza Sosan Abadi, Javad Hossein Abadi, and Alireza Nasrasfahani. The team will face Thailand and Russia (the previous champion) in upcoming matches. Iran's rowing representatives have also been sent to the Universiade. Farahnaz Amirshaghaghi reported that the girls performed exceptionally well on the first day and exceeded expectations, advancing to the semifinals. The head of the delegation noted that the boys' performance was below expectations, although they still have a chance to qualify for the finals in the repechage.