An Iranian rarity: 99-year-old diver crowned at World Aquatics games
An Iranian professional diver of the 1950s and 60s has made headlines after returning to the world games for a ceremonial dive.
Taghi Asgari, 99, was crowned a special ambassador of the global swimming body World Aquatics after he performed a 1-meter dive in Doha on Saturday.
Videos showed him hiding his tears after he received a medal from authorities and was applauded by the audience in the pool.
Asgari won a silver and bronze medal at the inaugural Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951. He then said goodbye to diving in 1966 after winning a national gold medal.
“For me, I have had a love of diving since I was a teenager. I have always loved diving. Nothing has changed between 1951 and now, except my performance!” he told the World Aquatics website.
Asgari was born and raised in the slopes of Alborz Mountain in Shemiran, located to the north of the Iranian capital, Tehran, where he still lives.
The old diver gave his recommendations to current and future competitors in aquatic games.
“The only thing I want to tell you is about loving this sport and to keep yourself healthy,” said Asgari.
Iran bids farewell to 300 unidentified martyrs of Iraqi-imposed war
Magnitude 5.6 earthquake rocks Iran's Khuzestan Province
Ex-US Army officer and Press TV analyst Scott Bennett dies at 53
Spain jurists demand ties with Israel ties be cut
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
VIDEO | Iran honors top Science Olympiad medalists
VIDEO | Austrians arrested at Gaza protest in Vienna
10 killed in bus crash in western Iran
VIDEO | One-man-band journalism with Civili
5 Israeli forces killed as Palestinian fighters face up to regime’s war machine
VIDEO | An insider's view of the country: Persian Tahini, Royan in Mazandaran
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
