Iranian taekwondo practitioner Alireza Hosseinpour has won a silver medal at the 19th edition of the Asian Games in China, bringing the total number of medals Iran has gained at the event to nine.
On Tuesday, Hosseinpour secured silver in the men’s minus 63-kilogram division at Lin’an Sports Culture & Exhibition Center in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.
He suffered a 0-2 defeat against Banlung Tubtimdang of Thailand in the final after outclassing Jordanian opponent Zaid al-Halawani in the semi-final.
Hosseinpour overcame Lee Gibeom of South Korea and Pakistani rival Muhammad Arbaz Khan in the quarter-final and round-of-16 respectively.
The 19th edition of the Asian Games, delayed a year due to China’s measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, is the country’s biggest sporting event in more than a decade in several metrics, with approximately 12,000 athletes from 45 nations competing in 40 sports.
The Games are underway in 56 venues, out of which 12 have been newly built.
A record high of nearly 12,500 athletes from 45 countries and territories compete across 40 sports in the Asian Games.
Iran has sent 289 male and female athletes to the Games in 34 sports events.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has so far been awarded a total of nine medals – four silvers and five bronzes – at the Hangzhou Asian Games and currently stands in the 14th place of the tournament.
China leads the standings with 82 medals, including 47 golds. South Korea is in the second slot with 43 medals, among them 13 golds while Japanese athletes rank third, having won six golds and 37 medals in total.
