Iranian table tennis players clinch three Rio Olympics berths
Iranian male and female table tennis players have impressed the audience in the Asian Qualification Tournament in Hong Kong, winning three tickets for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
On Saturday, Noshad Alamian pulled off a 4-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 and 11-4,) win against Jiang Tiani, a contestant from Hong Kong, at the indoor Queen Elizabeth Stadium and secured a quota place for Rio Olympics.
The achievement came only two days after Iranian female paddler Neda Shahsavari recorded a come-from-behind victory (7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 12-10) over her Uzbek opponent, Olga Kim, in the final contest of the Women’s Singles event, and booked her spot in the Olympics.
“I find it almost incredible because I was not in a strong condition at the beginning of the match. I was trailing 6-10 in the fifth game, and did not see the slightest chance of winning. A miracle happened though and I started notching points to win the match,” Shahsavari said.
Nima Alamian also overcame his elder brother Noshad (11-7, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5) in the Men’s Singles final on Thursday to qualify for the prestigious international sporting event.
The quota will mark Nima’s first appearance in the Olympics. Noshad had represented the Islamic Republic of Iran at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
“I want to do my best in the Olympics qualification to book a spot in the competition,” Noshad Alamian had earlier said.
The Asian table tennis qualification tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics began in Hong Kong on April 13 and will wrap up on April 17, 2016.
Dozens of male and female table tennis players from 23 countries and territories are participating in the continental event.
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