President Hassan Rouhani in a message on Friday felicitated the nation on the glorious victory of Kimia Alizadeh who became the first Iranian woman ever to win an Olympic medal, and commended Iran's super weightlifter Behdad Salimi who “proved his irrefutable pahlavani and champion status in judgment and the hearts of people.”
Kimia Alizadeh on Thursday clinched a bronze medal by beating Nikita Glasnostic of Sweden 5-1 in the taekwondo under-57kg division, thus becoming the first Iranian woman ever to win a medal at Olympics Games.
Behdad Salimi, while breaking the world record in the snatch weightlifting of the Men's over 105-kilogram class at the Rio 2016 Olympics Games, was later disqualified in the clean and jerk by a controversial decision by the jury.
“These performances prompted me to express my deepest gratitude to those who heroically achieved honor and victory, those who fought heroically to the end, and also those who are waiting for their chance to display Iran’s glory to the world,” President Rouhani said.
The President further thanked the Iranian nation, and the families and coaches of the champions at the Olympics Games for having trained and brought up these symbols of national pride.
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