"Being an Olympic champion is really an indescribable feeling," Salimi said in an interview.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Salimi cited that he had been interested in football since he was a child and he is a fan of Ronaldo.
I would like to be able to see Ronaldo in person and tell him that I was able to win the gold medal by being motivated by his success, he added.
Salimi defeated his British rival at the +80 kg in the Paris Olympics and snatched the gold medal.
The young Iranian taekwondoka had struggled with a strange disease as a child, but he was able to win a gold medal in the world's biggest sports tournament.
At the age of two, Salimi was suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis, with physicians believing that there was no hope for him.
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