Iran’s national para-table tennis team has ended its campaign in the 2015 Asia Regional Championships in Jordan and finished as the vice-champion following praiseworthy performances in the continental sporting event.
The Iranian team, consisting of Mahdi Masoumi, Hamidreza Sheikhzadeh and Hamid Rezaei, conceded defeat to the strong South Korean side in the final contest of the Class 4 sitting category at the Prince Ra’ad Complex in the Jordanian capital city of Amman, and landed in the second position of the chart on Wednesday evening.
The physically-challenged Iranian athletes overcame the Chinese Taipei squad in the semi-final round to secure a place in the final competition.
Earlier in the tournament, the Iranian team, comprised of Hossein Jaanfeshan, Ali Ranjbar and Seyed Kazem Borunjani, put on spectacular displays of skillfulness and agility at the men’s Class 2, and snatched the gold medal.
Another Iranian squad, consisting of Mahdi Hatefi, Hossein Ja’fari and Hamidreza Ershadifar, competed in the men’s Class 8, and picked up a bronze medal for the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s Ali Yazdi also paired up with Fereydoun Kamrani to receive a bronze in the men’s Class 9 standing doubles competitions.
Additionally, Jaanfeshan was awarded a bronze medal in the men’s individual sitting Class 2 contests.
The 2015 Asia Regional Championships opened in Jordan on October 22, and finished on October 29. A total of 13 Paralympian table tennis players represented the Islamic Republic of Iran at the tournament.
Medalists added various points to their qualification rankings for the 32nd edition of Olympic Games scheduled to be staged between August 5 and August 21, 2016 in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.