Iran’s delegation finishes 25th in Rio 2016 Olympics with 8 medals

The 2016 Summer Olympics has come to a close in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s delegation landing in the 25th slot of the medal count table at the end of the international and highly prestigious multi-sport event.

The spectacular and colorful closing ceremony, lasting almost three hours, was held in the Maracanã Stadium on Sunday evening, and rain did not affect the athletes’ celebratory mood and their spirits.

The games were declared closed by the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who accepted the Olympics flag from Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and handed it over to the governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike.

The Olympic torch in Rio was then passed onto Japanese authorities as the holders of the 2020 edition of Olympic Games, before the fire was finally extinguished.

Iranian athletes took home a total of 8 medals (three gold, one silver and four bronze). Iran had left the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with a total of 12 medals (4 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze), finishing seventeenth in the overall medal standings. 

The United States ended on the top of the medal count table with 121 (46 gold, 37 silver, 38 bronze).

Great Britain was second with 67 medals (27 gold, 23 silver, 17 bronze), and China was third with a total of 70 medals (26 gold, 18 silver and 26 bronze).

Russia, Germany, Japan, France. South Korea, Italy and Australia finished in 4th to 10th places respectively. 

Iran’s 25-year-old weightlifter Kianoush Rostami clinched a gold medal in the men’s 85-kilogram weight category. Rostami elevated 217 kilograms in his final clean and jerk attempt for a total of 396 kilograms, improving his world record by one kilogram.

Sohrab Moradi, another Iranian weightlifter, stole the show in the men's 94-kilogram contests and topped the podium with a combined total of 403 kilograms.

Iran's Hassan Yazdani prevailed over Russian opponent Aniuar Geduev in the final bout of men's 74-kilogram freestyle wrestling competitions, and was awarded a gold medal.

Komeil Ne’mat Ghasemi lost to Turkey’s Taha Akgul 4-3 in the final encounter of men's 125-kilogram freestyle wrestling contests, and picked up a silver medal.

Taekwondo practitioner Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin became the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic medal, taking the bronze in the minus 57-kilogram weight class by defeating Swedish athlete Nikita Glasnović.

Hassan Rahimi won a bronze medal in the men’s 57-kilogram category of freestyle wrestling.

Greco-Roman wrestler Saeed Abdevali overcame Hungarian counterpart Peter Bacsi 3-1 and won a bronze medal in the 75-kilogram weight class.

Ghasem Rezaei also defeated Sweden's Carl Fredrik Stefan Schoen in the bronze medal contest of men’s 98-kilogram weight category.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk