Iran maintains 7th place on Day 7 of Asian Games after athletics, kabaddi medals
Tehran - BORNA - Iran’s medal count expanded on Saturday with a record-setting performance in athletics, where Mohammadreza Tayebi captured the gold medal in the men’s shot put. Sprinter Zahra Zarei secured a silver medal in the women’s 400 meters, while both the men’s and women’s national kabaddi teams clinched silver medals after reaching their respective tournament finals.
With a total of 28 medals, Iran remains locked in seventh position, closely trailing Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Thailand in the gold count. China dominates the summit of the medal table with 107 gold, 41 silver, and 28 bronze medals, followed by host nation Japan in second place (31 gold, 49 silver, 49 bronze) and South Korea in third (16 gold, 21 silver, 36 bronze). Uzbekistan holds fourth place with 8 gold, 17 silver, and 9 bronze medals, followed by Kazakhstan (8 gold, 8 silver, 19 bronze) and Thailand (8 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze).
Iran’s seven gold medals at the Games have come across combat sports, rowing, esports, and athletics. The champions include karatekas Mahmoud Nemati and Morteza Nemati, the esports tandem of Hassan Pajani and Abolfazl Aghaei-Nasab, rowers Fatemeh Mojallal, Kimia Zarei, and Zeinab Norouzi, wushu fighter Soheil Mousavi, and shot putter Mohammadreza Tayebi.
The delegation's 14 silver medals were earned by the women’s kata team, karate athletes Fatemeh Saeidabadi and Ali-Asghar Asiabari, wushu competitors Shoja Panahi, Erfan Moharrami, and Sogand Sinkaei, gymnasts Mehdi Olfati and Arman Khodaei, single sculls rower Amirhossein Mahmoudpour alongside several rowing crews, 400m runner Zahra Zarei, and both the men's and women's national kabaddi squads.
Contributing to Iran’s bronze tally are the men’s 5x5 and 3x3 basketball teams, sabre fencer Ali Pakdaman, discus thrower Sadegh Samimi, canoe sprint duo Ali Aghamirzaei and Peyman Ghavidel, mixed team pistol shooters Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Vahid Golkhandan, and rower Fatemeh Mojallal in singles competition.
The 2026 Asian Games, which officially opened in Nagoya on September 19, will run through October 4.
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