Shahin Izadyar

Started: He began swimming in 2002 in Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran, and took up the sport seriously at age 16. (asianparagames2018.id, 12 Oct 2018; JameJam TV, 01 Jan 2011; Athlete, 12 Sep 2019) Reason: "My father was a taekwondo practitioner and I went to a taekwondo gym at age seven, but because of the high injury rate and because there was no Para taekwondo at the time, I switched to swimming. It was just for the sake of learning, and also because of my fear of water. I never thought I'd be able to go further in the field." (ana.ir, 05 Jan 2019) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (farhikhtegandaily.com, 11 Jan 2024) Milestones: At the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia his six gold medals made him the first Iranian Para athlete from any sport to win more than four Asian Para Games gold medals, and the first Iranian Para swimmer to win more than one Asian Para Games gold medal. His five medals [two silver, three bronze] at the 2022 edition of the tournament in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China, took his total medal tally at the Asian Para Games to 24, more than any other athlete from any sport. (paralympic.org, 30 Oct 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 17 Jul 2024) Awards: He was named Best Athlete at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia. (sport.detik.com, 15 Oct 2018) Additional Info: TOKYO DISAPPOINTMENT He expressed his disappointment that the National Paralympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran did not send a swimming team to the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but said he came to terms with the decision. "I was shocked. If I competed in Tokyo I would definitely win a medal. When I was informed of this decision, I felt as though someone poured cold water over me. For several weeks I was completely broken mentally. But in the end I was able to cope with it. I thought that if I was sent to Tokyo, I might face another injury or issue that would neither allow me to do well there nor to prepare well for future events." (mehrnews.com, 07 Apr 2021)