By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

From gold-medal performances in the pool and on the track to team triumphs and deeply personal dedications, Iran’s 102-medal haul at the 2026 Asian Para Games offers a compelling story that went well beyond the podium.

Held in Nagoya and Aichi, Japan, from October 18 to 24, the fifth edition of the Games brought together athletes from across Asia for a week of competition in 18 Para sports.

According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), around 4,000 athletes and officials from 45 National Paralympic Committees took part in the event, which featured 492 medal events.

Iran fielded 166 athletes – 104 men and 62 women – across 15 sports. Para Athletics led the country’s medal tally, followed by Para Swimming and Para Taekwondo.

The Iranian delegation also won medals in Para Powerlifting, Para Judo, Para Shooting, sitting volleyball, Para Cycling, Para Archery, blind football (football 5-a-side), Para Table Tennis and wheelchair basketball.

Iran’s medal haul featured several multi-medal performances, team success in sitting volleyball, and individual victories marked by personal dedications.

Leading the way were athletes who won multiple medals, including swimmer Sina Zeyghaminejad, who claimed three golds and a bronze, and track athlete Alireza Zare, who won both the men’s 100m and 200m T35 titles.

Elham Salehi also took two golds in field events, while Hajar Safarzadeh won gold in the women’s 400m T12 and added silver medals in the 100m and 200m.

Para Athletics

Para Athletics was Iran’s leading medal sport, contributing 47 medals: 14 gold, 20 silver and 13 bronze. Iranian athletes excelled across track events, jumps, throws and seated field events, with several athletes earning multiple medals.

Alireza Zare won gold in both the men’s 100m and 200m T35, setting a Games record in the 100m with a time of 12.32 seconds.

Elham Salehi claimed two gold medals, winning the women’s javelin throw F52/F53/F54 and shot put F53/F54.

In the men’s field events, Amirhossein Alipour won gold in the F11 shot put with an Asian-record performance, while Saman Pakbaz claimed the F12 shot put title. Mohammad Saber also took gold in the F33 shot put, setting a Games record.

Erfan Bondori won the men’s javelin throw F53/F54, setting a Games record, while Yasin Khosravi claimed gold in the men’s shot put F56/F57 with a Games-record performance.

Saeid Afrooz won gold in the men’s javelin throw F33, breaking the world record with a throw of 42.58 metres.

“The plans we had made in advance paid off, and we managed to achieve what we wanted. I think this was a very good achievement for the people of Iran and me,” he said after clinching gold.

“The World Championships are a pathway to the 2028 Paralympics in the United States, which is our most important goal. I will do everything I can to win gold there, bring honor to my country and raise Iran’s flag.”

Afrooz also dedicated his gold medal to the martyrs of the 40-day Ramadan War, referring to the war of aggression launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28.

Mahdi Olad won the men’s discus throw F11, and Mehran NikoeeMajd secured gold in the men’s shot put F34. Sadegh Beit completed the gold-medal list with victory in the men’s javelin throw F40/F41.

Safarzadeh was one of Iran’s standout track athletes. She won the women’s 400m T12, with her time of 56.43 seconds marked as a Games record, and added silver medals in the 100m T12 and 200m T12.

“I am very happy and thank God that, after winning two silver medals, I was also able to win gold and complete my medal collection,” she said after the winning performance.

“I did not give up or back down. I waited, kept working, and kept trying until I finally got what I deserved.”

Iran’s silver medals came across a wide range of Para Athletics events.

Parastoo Habibi won silver in both the women’s club throw F32 and shot put F32, while Masoumeh Tourani finished runner-up in the women’s javelin throw F52/F53/F54.

Ali Olfatnia took silver in the men’s long jump T37/T38, and Mahdi Olad added silver in the men’s shot put F11 to his gold in the discus throw.

Atena Mohammadiha finished second in the women’s shot put F33. Zeinab Moradi claimed silver in the women’s javelin throw F55/F56, while Zafar Zaker earned two silver medals in the men’s javelin throw F55 and shot put F54/F55.

Alireza Hemami won silver in the men’s shot put F53, while Fatemehzahra Amiryousefi finished second in the women’s 100m T13. Mohammad Ebrahim took silver in the men’s javelin throw F33, and Shahla Hadidi earned two silver medals in the women’s discus throw F54 and shot put F53/F54.

Hassan Bajoulvand won silver in the men’s discus throw F11, Mohammadtaha Beygrezaei in the men’s shot put F34, Hormoz Seidi in the men’s javelin throw F37, and Hanan Kaab Omeir in the women’s discus throw F51/F52/F53.

Iran’s bronze medals were also spread across a wide range of Para Athletics events.

Farzaneh Sohrabitabar won bronze in both the women’s club throw F32 and discus throw F51/F52/F53, while Reza Hatami finished third in the men’s 100m T38 and 400m T35/T38.

Hashemiyeh Motaghian claimed bronze in the women’s javelin throw F55/F56, Alireza Hemami in the men’s discus throw F51/F52/F53, and Hashem Rastegari in the men’s 400m T37.

Hamed Amiri came third in the men’s shot put F54/F55, while Amirhossein Alipour added bronze in the men’s discus throw F11 to his shot-put gold.

Other Iranian bronze medallists in Para Athletics included Fatemeh Amirzadegani in the women’s long jump T12, Faezeh Dibaei in the women’s discus throw F56/F57, Kosar Gharaei in the women’s discus throw F11, and Beit in the men’s shot put F41.

Together, these results made Para Athletics the backbone of Iran’s medal campaign at the continental event, with podium finishes across both track and field events.

Para Swimming

Iran won 16 medals in Para Swimming, comprising four golds, four silvers and eight bronzes.

Sina Zeyghaminejad led Iran’s medal charge in the pool, winning gold in the men’s 100m freestyle S10, 50m freestyle S10 and 100m breaststroke SB9. He also claimed bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley SM10, finishing the Games with four medals.

Abolfazl Zarif won gold in the men’s 100m backstroke S9, silver in the 50m freestyle S9 and bronze in the 100m freestyle S9, earning three medals. Shahin Izadyar also finished the Games with four medals, taking silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S10, 50m freestyle S10 and 100m breaststroke SB9, along with bronze in the 400m freestyle S10.

Shahin Izadyar, who made history at Jakarta 2018 by winning six gold medals and one silver before adding two silver and three bronze medals at Hangzhou 2022, announced his retirement from professional sport. His decision marked the end of a career that had made him one of the most prominent figures in Iranian Para Swimming.

Other Iranian swimmers who won medals included Mohammadhossein Karimi, who claimed bronze in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB13 and 100m butterfly S12; Ali Motallebi, who took bronze in the men’s 50m freestyle S9; Ali Rashidabadi, who won bronze in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB5; and Malekoladi, who earned bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke S9.

Iran’s medal tally reflected strong performances in men’s freestyle and breaststroke, alongside podium finishes in backstroke, butterfly and individual medley events.

Para Taekwondo

Iran won 11 medals in Para Taekwondo, including four golds, one silver and six bronzes.

Ailar Jami claimed the women’s K44 under-47kg title, while Amirmohammad Haghighatshenas won gold in the men’s K44 under-70kg category.

Iran also secured two golds in the men’s heavier weight classes, with Alireza Bakht winning the K44 under-80kg title and Hamed Haghshenas taking gold in the K44 over-80kg category.

Jami dedicated her gold medal to the children of Minab. “I dedicate my gold medal to the children of Minab,” she said, referring to children of Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab who were killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

Haghighatshenas also expressed happiness about contributing to the delegation’s media tally.

“I achieved what I wanted. Winning a medal at such a major event and being able to contribute to my country’s position in the medal table makes me very happy,” he said.

Zahra Rahimi won silver in the women’s K44 under-57kg event. Iran’s bronze medallists were Mohammadtaha Hassanpour in the men’s K44 under-58kg, Saeid Sadeghianpour in the men’s under-63kg, Mahdi Pourrahnama in the men’s under-80kg, Maryam Abdollahpour in the women’s under-57kg, Parimah Tourani in the women’s under-65kg, and Marzieh Nasrollahi in the women’s over-65kg.

The team’s four gold medals came from both men’s and women’s competitions, while the six bronzes extended Iran’s medal coverage into additional weight categories. The silver for Rahimi completed the discipline’s tally.

Powerlifting

Iran’s Para Powerlifting team won eight medals: one gold, five silver and two bronze.

Ahmad Aminzadeh, the reigning Asian champion, claimed gold in the men’s over-107kg category with a successful lift of 260kg.

Aminzadeh dedicated his gold medal to the Iranian people and bereaved mothers, particularly those in southern Iran.

“I dedicate this medal to the good people of Iran and to all the mothers who have lost their loved ones during this period, especially mothers in the south of the country,” he said.

He added that the medal could not compare with the hardship those mothers had endured and expressed hope that better days lay ahead for the Iranian people.

Mahdi Sayadi won silver in the men’s over-107kg event with a lift of 240kg, completing an Iranian first-and-second-place finish in the heaviest category.

Paralympic gold medalist Rouhollah Rostami took silver in the men’s 88kg, Aliakbar Gharibshahi in the men’s 107kg, Zahra Aghaei in the women’s 79kg, and NikooRozbahani in the women’s over-86kg.

Aliasghar Abareghi won bronze in the men’s 97kg, while Mohsen Bakhtiar took bronze in the men’s 72kg.

“Unfortunately, I suffered a chest injury one month before the Games began, and as a result, I could not train properly for three weeks. It made things very difficult for me, but given those circumstances, I think I performed well today,” Rostami said after winning silver.

“I have always been a perfectionist, and this silver medal does not satisfy me because the people of Iran deserve the very best. I have always wanted to dedicate a gold medal to these dear people, but this time it did not happen. I ask them to accept this modest silver medal from me,” he added.

“I dedicate this medal to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the martyred Leader, all the martyrs of the two recent imposed wars, and the noble people of Iran,” Rostami said.

Para Judo

Iran won five medals in Para Judo, including one gold, one silver and three bronzes. Ali Navaei took gold in the men’s J1 over-95kg category.

Mohammadreza Khairollahzadeh won silver in the men’s J2 over-95kg event, while three other Iranian judoka finished with bronze medals: Mahdi Borchlou in the men’s J1 under-81kg, Mousa Gholami in the men’s J1 under-95kg, and Amirhossein Nimrouzi in the men’s J2 over-95kg.

Shooting Para Sport

Iran earned three medals in Shooting Para Sport, one of each colour. Faezeh Ahmadi won gold in the women’s P2 10m air pistol SH1, ahead of compatriot Sareh Javanmardi, who took silver in the same event. Nasrin Shahi won bronze in the open 50m pistol SH1.

The women’s air-pistol final thus produced a one-two finish for Iran, while Shahi’s bronze came in a separate open event.

Sitting Volleyball

Iran’s men won gold in sitting volleyball, while the women’s team claimed silver.

The men’s team defeated Kazakhstan in the final to secure the title. Head coach Hadi Rezaei said the final was more challenging than the teams’ earlier meeting, noting that Kazakhstan adopted an aggressive approach but his players executed their game plan effectively.

Rezaei dedicated the victory to the parents of the schoolchildren killed in Minab.

“I would like to dedicate this victory to the parents of the Minab martyrs and the families going through difficult days. I hope this win brought a smile to their faces, even if only for a minute,” he said.

The coach also pointed to the team’s depth. He said that Iran had made five changes to its line-up since the world championships two months earlier and had fielded an 18-year-old player during the Games. Despite those changes, the side won the title.

Rezaei described the result as evidence of the sport’s strong base in Iran and said the team should be able to continue succeeding beyond his own tenure as coach.

Para Cycling and Para Archery

Iran’s cyclists collected two medals. Behrooz Farzad took silver in the men’s C4 4000m individual pursuit, while Mohammad Dalir won bronze in the men’s B 1000m time trial.

Farzad’s silver came in a pursuit event, while Dalir reached the podium in a timed race.

Amirmohammad Barani won silver in the men’s Para Compound event. Iran also received bronze in the Para Recurve Mixed Team event.

Blind Football

Iran won bronze in football 5-a-side, also known as blind football. According to the roster in Attachment A, the squad included Mohammadamin Rahimzadeh, Ahmadreza Shahhosseini, Mohammad Mirzaei, Mohammad Aghajani, Morteza Karimi, Hossein Rajabpour, Alireza Bakht, Behzad Zadaliasghari, Sadegh Rahimi and Reza Sadri.

Iran defeated Thailand 2–1 in the bronze-medal match to secure a place on the podium. The team also recorded group-stage wins over South Korea, China and India, but lost to Thailand and Japan in its other group matches.

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Para Table Tennis and Wheelchair Basketball

Hassan Janfeshan won bronze in the men’s singles Class 2 event. He advanced from the group stage and quarterfinal round before losing to South Korea’s Kim 3–2 in the semifinal.

Iran’s men’s wheelchair basketball team won bronze with the women’s team finishing fourth.

Comparison with Hangzhou 2022 and Jakarta 2018

Iran’s performance at the 2026 Asian Para Games marked a decline from its results at the previous two editions. At Hangzhou 2022, held in October 2023 after a one-year postponement, Iran won 44 gold, 46 silver and 41 bronze medals, for a total of 131, finishing second in the medal table.

The results show a decline in both gold-medal count and overall ranking. Iran finished third at Jakarta 2018, rose to second at Hangzhou 2022, and dropped to sixth at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

Iran’s gold-medal tally fell from 51 in 2018 to 44 in 2022 and 26 in 2026. Its reported overall medal count also declined, from 136 to 131 and then 102. The 2026 summary table lists 40 bronze medals, although the detailed breakdown accounts for only 37. The comparison here follows the main summary table for the latest edition.

Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali has called for an immediate and comprehensive review of the country’s performance at the 2026 Asian Para Games.

He said the assessment should consider the effects of wartime conditions and the introduction of younger athletes, while also identifying weaknesses that need to be addressed.

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In a message issued on Saturday, Donyamali said Iran’s delegation faced particular challenges in preparing for the Games after the country experienced two imposed wars over the past year.

While acknowledging that these circumstances affected athletes’ preparation and performance, he stressed that they should not prevent a thorough review of the team’s shortcomings.

The minister praised the athletes’ determination and achievements, describing their performances as a testament to the ability, perseverance and hard work that make them inspirational role models.

He also highlighted the significant number of young athletes in some teams, describing their participation as a positive sign for the future of Iranian para-sport.

Donyamali called on the specialized commission responsible for overseeing sports federations to begin evaluating the delegation’s performance without delay.

He stressed that a thorough review, timely decisions and targeted planning were essential to maintaining Iran’s position in para-sport and sustaining future success.

He also urged officials to begin preparations immediately to secure as many qualification places as possible for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and ensure a strong performance at the global event.