Iranian athletes win three bronze medals at Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh
Tehran, IRNA – Iranian athletes secured three bronze medals in judo, boxing, and swimming at the ongoing Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, marking the country’s first achievements in the multi-sport event.
In judo, Maryam Barbat, Iran’s flagbearer and competitor in the women’s under-70 kg category, claimed the first medal for the Iranian delegation.
Barbat lost her opening match to her rival from Azerbaijan but later defeated Kyrgyzstan’s competitor to advance to the bronze medal contest. She then overcame an athlete from Cameroon to secure Iran’s first medal in Riyadh.
In the same discipline, Elias Parhizgar in the men’s under-81 kg category won his first bout against the Saudi representative but was later defeated by opponents from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, while Amirabbas Choupan lost his opening match against Bahrain and exited the competition.
With Barbat’s victory, Iran’s judo team concluded its participation with a single bronze medal.
Iranian athletes win three bronze medals at Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh
Iran’s boxing team also earned a bronze, as Danial Shahbakhsh, the country’s last remaining boxer, finished third in the 60 kg category.
Shahbakhsh defeated a Kyrgyz opponent in the quarterfinals but lost 4–1 in the semifinal to Uzbekistan’s representative, settling for bronze. Other Iranian boxers — Mohammad Nourani, Ali Habibinejad, Neda Kowsari, and Ghazaleh Rasouli — were eliminated in earlier rounds, leaving the team with one medal overall.
Iranian athletes win three bronze medals at Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh
Iran’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay team added another bronze in swimming. The team of Mohammad Ghasemi, Mohammad-Mehdi Gholami, Ali Rashidpour, and Matin Sohran clocked 7:34.19 to finish third and also broke the national record.
This was Iran’s second swimming medal at the Riyadh 2025 Games.
Meanwhile, Iranian swimmer Homer Abbasi advanced to the final of the men’s 100-meter backstroke after clocking 57.41 seconds in the semifinals, ranking seventh among 24 competitors.
