Ashourzadeh, 23, won a gold medal in the 2014 Asian Championships in Tashkent and claimed the title several months later in Incheon in the Asian Games.
The Iranian prodigy stole the show in the 2015 World Championships in Chelyabinsk, beating the Belgian Si Mohamed Ketbi in the Men’s -58kg final bout.
Ashourzadeh was knocked out of the 2016 Olympic Games after losing to Moroccan Omar Hajjami in the preliminary round. He failed to book a place at the 2020 Olympic Games but is determined to make the podium in the next Olympics.
“What does not kill me makes me stronger,” the silver medalist at Asian Championships 2018 in Ho Chi Minh City and bronze medalist at Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta said.
“Considering my age and physical condition, I can participate at the 2024 and 2028 Olympics. I want to move forward by making the better decisions. First, I will do my best to build the championship character, then I will try to win an Olympics medal,” Ashourzadeh said.
“Fortunately, I started the sport on high but I have not been successful over the past two years. But I found out that’s life,” he said.
“The defeats have taught me more than the victories in the last years and I like whatever is good happens to me. My goal is to win a medal in Olympics,” Ashourzadeh added.
“Nobody knows what the future will hold but I want to win a medal for my people. I need to be patient, then I can win medal in 2024 or 2028 Olympic Games,” he concluded.
MNA/TT