TEHRAN, Feb. 22 (MNA) – Iranian athletes on Saturday snatched two silver medals in International Gymnastics Federation World Cup in Melbourne.

Saeedreza Keikha won the silver of men’s pommel horse with a score of 15.033. Stephen Nedoroscik of the USA gained the gold with 15.400 while Kohei Kameyama finished third.

The other silver was collected by Mahdi Ahmad Kohani in rings with a score of 14.500. 2016 Olympics champion Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece won the gold while the bronze went to Ali Zahran of Egypt.

 Zahra Inche Dargahi, President of Iran’s Gymnastic Federation, praised the results as ‘historic’. “These medals are invaluable since our athletes faced many challenges ahead of being dispatched to the games,” she said, referring to Australia’s delay in issuing visas for Iranian athletes which were eventually resolved through the cooperation of Iran Foreign Ministry and Olympics Committee. 

The 2020 FIG World Cup circuit in Artistic Gymnastics is a series of competitions officially organized and promoted by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in 2020. All three of the Apparatus World Cup series competitions, in Melbourne, Baku, and Doha, will serve as opportunities for gymnasts to earn points towards Olympic qualification through the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series route.

MAH/ 4859834/ 4859850