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Iranian Paralympic champion auctions her gold medal to help quake victims

Wednesday, 15 November 2017 9:23 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 15 November 2017 11:43 AM ]

Iranian Paralympic shooter Sareh Javanmardidodmani poses with her gold medal of the P4 mixed 50-meter pistol SH1 competitions of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 14, 2016.

Iranian Paralympic shooter Sareh Javanmardidodmani has put her Rio 2016 Paralympic Games gold medal up for auction to raise money for the victims of the quake that struck western Iran at the weekend, and left thousands of people injured and tens of villages destroyed.

The quake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale rattled the border region between Iran and Iraq on Sunday night, causing extensive damage and loss of life.

According to the latest figures, at least 432 people have lost their lives and over 7,817 others sustained injuries in the earthquake. More than 12,000 homes have also been completely destroyed in the incident.

“In the wake of this natural disaster and having seen the country’s athletes making their contributions to quake-stricken people, I wondered what I could do as a Paralympic athlete and play a part in this major initiative.

“Therefore, I took the decision to auction my most precious medal, the one which I clinched in Rio Paralympics, to help quake-hit people. I hope the proceeds can alleviate their sufferings to some extent,” Javanmardidodmani wrote in a message.

All interested bidders can contact by cellular phone number: 00989125105266.

On September 14, Javanmardidodmani participated in the P4 mixed 50-meter pistol SH1 competitions of the 2016 Paralympics at the Olympic Shooting Center in the western Rio neighborhood of Deodoro.

She racked up 189.5 points to claim the top position and finish as champion.

Chinese sports shooter Yang Chao, 37, accumulated 186.5 points to clinch the silver medal. Oleksii Denysiuk, a representative from Ukraine, scooped the bronze with 160.8 points.

The Iranian Paralympic shooter had earlier scored 193.4 points in the P2 10m air pistol shooting event of the Rio 2016 Paralympics on September 9, and finished first to win the gold medal.

Her Ukrainian opponent Olga Kovalchu earned 191.2 points to land in the second spot and collect the silver medal.

Turkish female athlete Aysegul Pehlivanlar collected 172.3 points altogether and received the bronze.

The shooting competitions at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games started on September 8, and finished on September 14.

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