Iran NPC, Tehran:
I.R. Iran Sports Federation for the Enabled (IRISFE) has
appointed Iranian legend Zahra Nemati as the new head coach of the National
Para Archery Team.
History-maker Zahra Nemati, who became the first Iranian woman
to win a gold at Paralympics and also the first Iranian athlete to compete in
both Olympics and Paralympics in the same year (Rio 2016), has announced her
retirement from professional Para Archery.
Nemati has won three Paralympic titles (London 2012, Rio
2016, Tokyo 2020) and seven Asian Para Games medals including five Golds with Iran
National Recurve Team during her sport career as an athlete.
Biography
Born in April 1985, Nemati held a black belt in taekwondo
before an accident in 2004 left her with a spinal-cord injury. Two years after
the accident, the university student took up archery and quickly proved to
everyone that her impairment was no limitation.
Just six months after taking up the sport, she took part in
her first National Championships, competing alongside able-bodied archers and
finished in third place. As a result, she was invited to join the national
archery team and has won a medal in every Championships she has competed in
since.
At London 2012, Nemati set a Paralympic record on her way to
gold in the women's individual recurve W1/W2, and she also picked up a bronze
medal in the women's team recurve open.
Her success resulted in significant media coverage back home
and inspired other women to take up Para sport, particularly archery.
Here is the list of her sport honors:
Honors:
2013, won an individual award at the Sport Accord Spirit of
Sport Awards
2013, Diploma and award as the top athlete with disability
by Asia Paralympic Committee
Named among top ten women archer by World Archery Federation
2013, named as top Muslim female athlete of the year
2017, named by International Paralympic Committee as
November Top Athlete
2017, named as number one para-archer in the world by World
Archery Federation
2017, nominated as a candidate for Top Women Award from
International Paralympic Committee
2018, Women Leader Award from International Paralympic
Committee
2018, Being granted the post-nominal letters OLY for her
great achievements as an Olympian by Mr. Thomas Bach
2016, nominated among top fifty athletes in Olympic Games in
Rio 2016 official website (Olympic.org)
2021, next-generation leader award on International Women’s
Day for using her voice and platform to demonstrate what women with impairments
can achieve.
2021, named as one of
the six newly elected members of the International Paralympic Committee
Athletes’ Council
2021, selected as director of Athletes committee in I.R.I
National Paralympic Committee.
2021, selected as the member of Athletes Committee in I.R.I
National Olympic Committee.
2021, Nemati Final match named among top five Athletic
Moments in 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games
2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, Gold medal in Women's
individual Recurve