Female Iranian darts players have exhibited fantastic displays of precision at the Word Darts Federation (WDF) World Cup 2017 in Japan, and secured the Islamic Republic’s first-ever gold medal at the international sports event.
On Friday, the Iranian pair of Deniz Hashtbaran and Mahshad Avazzadeh defeated Lerena Rietbergen and Layla Brussels from the Netherlands 6-5 in the final match of girls’ section in the city of Kobe, situated about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Osaka, and stood atop the podium.
The Iranian athletes then dedicated their precious medal to the family of Iranian military advisor Mohsen Hojaji, who was taken hostage by Daesh Takfiri terrorists on the outskirts of the southeastern Syrian border town of al-Tanf on August 7 and beheaded two days later.
Hashtbaran and Avazzadeh had earlier Irish counterparts Katie Sheldon and Amy Byrne 5-4 in the semifinals of the tournament.
The Iranian pair defeated Line Kristiansen and Anick Sonnichsen from Denmark 4-1 in the quarterfinal round.
Meanwhile, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Sport Association Mohammad Alipour and Deputy Iranian Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Fariba Mohmmadian have extended their sincere felicitations to the young Iranian darts players in separate messages.
The WDF World Cup 2017 started on October 3, and will wrap up on October 7.
The WDF World Cup is a major darts tournament that has been held biennially since 1977.
The tournament has featured men's events since the beginning, while women's events were added in 1983 and youth events in 1999.