In the Paralympics in London, Siamand Rahman, who is confined to a wheelchair, won the gold medal in the heavyweight division of powerlifting.
The 24-year-old lifted 270 kilograms on his first attempt. This broke the world Paralympic record by five kilos. Rahman than tried and succeeded in lifting 280 kilos on his second attempt, shattering the record he had just set.
For his third attempt, he tried an astounding 301 kilos, but could not make that lift.
In standard weightlifting, the athletes stand on their feet and lift the weight above their heads. In Paralympic powerlifting, the athletes lay on their backs under a rig that holds the barbell. The athlete then lifts the barbell off the rig and pushes it high above his chest.
Altogether, it was a sterling year for Iran’s Paralympic team. In the medal standings, Iran came in 11th, its best result ever. Four yers ago, Iran ranked 22nd in the Paralympics. In the regular Olympics this year, Iran ranked 17th.
In this year’s Paralympics, Iran won 10 gold medals, seven silver and seven bronzes.
