Water polo: Iran crowned FINA World Water Polo Development Trophy champion
Iran mantained its undefeated record in the 5th FINA World Water Polo Development Trophy with a 13-5 win over powerhouse Uruguay in the final match. In front of cheering crowd, team Melli won its second water polo gold medal in the nation’s history after 41 years. Iran had claimed the gold medal in the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran. On its way to the final, Iran defeated Tunisia, Indonesia, Guatemala and Austria.
Launched in 2007, the FINA Water Polo Development Trophy gathers teams from nations in Africa, the Americas and Asia where it is still not a major sport, seeking to develop water polo on a global level.
Volleyball: Iran won Asian Men’s U23 Volleyball Championship
Iran confirmed their strong form at the Asian Men’s U23 Volleyball Championship by powering past formidable Korea 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-21) in a thrilling final showdown to become
the first team in history to capture the championship. Iran and Korea qualify for the FIVB Volleyball Men’s U23 World Championship in Dubai, UAE, from August 24-31, 2015.
It was another remarkable success for Iran, who have made a clean sweep of all the Asian men’s age group titles, also including the Asian Youth Boys’ U18 Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2014, the Asian Men’s Junior U20 Championship in Manama, Bahrain in 2014 and the Asian Senior Men’s Championship in Dubai, the UAE in 2013.
Taekwondo: Iran took the men’s overall title; Gold for Khodabakhshi and Ashourzadeh; Bronze for Yaghoubi and Kimia Alizadeh
Iran took the men’s overall title with three gold medals and one bronze for a total of 65 points, followed by Russia and Uzbekistan at the 2015 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
In the men’s -58kg category Farzan Ashourzadeh Fallah known as “The Tsunami” won gold over Belgium’s Si Mohammed Ketbi in the final showdown.In the men’s -80kg division, Iranian Mahdi Khodabakhshi took the gold. In the male -63kg category Iran’s Abolfazi Yaghoubi Jouybar won bronze. Iran’s Bijan Moghanlou was selected as the best male team coach.
Kimia Alizadeh ist the first Iranian woman to win a medal at the World Taekwondo Championships. Alizadeh defeated Olympic gold medal winner Jade Jones 10-9 in the quarterfinals round but lost to Mayu Hamada from Japan 5-3 in the semifinals and claimed the bronze medal.
Sources: FINA Trophy 2015 | News, FINA Trophy 2015 | Gallery Iran-Uruguay, FIVB | News, WTF | News, Tasnim News Agency | News, World Taekwondo United News 1, World Taekwondo United News 2, ISNA | Photos