Iranian Para-shooter Sareh Javanmardi says she will never forget the tragic loss of Bahman Golbarnezhad.
Iranian Para-shooter Sareh Javanmardi says she will never forget the tragic loss of Bahman Golbarnezhad.
Golbarnezhad died in an accident during the Paralympic C4-5 cycling road race in September.
“It is impossible for me to think of the Games without immediately also remembering the tragic accident of the Para-cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad. That was one of the worst events for me as well as for the entire Paralympic community, I think. I will never forget this sad and tragic loss,” Javanmardi told Paralympic.org.
With two months now passed since the Paralympic Games, one might assume the dust has settled on Javanmardi’s golden Rio moments.
On the contrary, the 31-year-old world champion, multiple world record holder, and now two-time Paralympic champion, still receives fan messages and congratulations from her compatriots on a daily basis.
“The amount of respect and gratitude that people have extended to me has been overwhelming,” Javanmardi said. “The Iranian people have always been very nice to me but the welcome I have received after my return from Brazil has been even more special. I would like to thank everyone for it.”
The Iranian, who was also voted the Allianz Best Female Athlete of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, is particularly happy because more attention for her story means more attention for what people with an impairment can be capable of.
“Raising awareness for that has always been an important byproduct of my personal achievements. I am happy that I could do so once more with my performances in Rio.”
Speaking of those Rio performances, Javanmardi repeatedly pointed out that neither the P2 (women's 10m air pistol SH1) that made her the first woman to win shooting gold for Iran, nor the P4 (50m pistol mixed SH1) competitions were easy achievements.
“I had a hard time adapting to the situation and I definitely felt more stress than in past events. Particularly the P4 was a very difficult competition for me because I still lack experience in the P4.”
This might be the reason why her P4 win is her most favorite Rio moment, despite her historic victory in the P2.
“Of course, being the first woman to ever claim a shooting gold medal for Iran was also very special,” Javanmardi asserted about the P2 win. “But standing on top of the podium in the P4 had always been my biggest dream so winning that was even slightly more special for me.”