According to "Varzesh 3", Elham Salehi and Alireza Zare, two Iranian para-track and field internationals, by winning two gold medals at the 5th Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, placed at the top of the list of Iran's most decorated athletes in terms of gold medals, following Sina Zeighaminejad, Iran's triple-gold swimmer.
Sina Zeighaminejad became Iran's most decorated athlete in terms of gold medals in para-swimming by winning three golds and one bronze, and following him, Elham Salehi and Alireza Zare, two para-track and field representatives, each placed next with two gold medals.
It is noteworthy that Salehi and Zare claimed the championship title in both events they competed in, making them prominent figures of the Iranian delegation in Japan with a 100% success rate.
Elham Salehi, the Most Successful Iranian Woman
Meanwhile, Elham Salehi, Iran's 46-year-old para-track and field international in the F54 class, was the most successful woman of our country's delegation at the Nagoya Games.
She claimed the championship title and won her first gold medal in the women's javelin throw of the combined F52, F53, and F54 classes by recording a throw of 16.44 meters and scoring 845 points.
Salehi subsequently stood on the top of the podium in the women's shot put of the combined F53 and F54 classes with a record of 6.79 meters and 819 points to secure her second gold medal in Nagoya.
Alireza Zare; Repeating Two Hangzhou Golds with Two Record-Breaks
Alireza Zare, Iran's 32-year-old para-track and field sprinter in the T35 class, was another double-gold athlete of the "Jan Fadaye Iran-e Ghavi" delegation who delivered a brilliant performance in Nagoya.
Zare won the gold medal in the men's T35 100-meter race with a time of 12.32 seconds, also breaking the Asian Para Games record.
This Iranian sprinter crossed the finish line ahead of other runners in the 200-meter event with a time of 24.83 seconds, winning his second gold by setting a new Asian record.
Thus, both of Zare's championships in Nagoya were accompanied by record breaks—an achievement that doubles the technical value of his two gold medals.
Zare had previously been crowned champion in the T35 100m and 200m events at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, and by repeating this success in Nagoya, he brought his total gold medal count across the past two editions of the Asian Para Games to four.
Zeighaminejad; The Delegation's Only Triple-Gold Athlete
Alongside these two para-track and field internationals, Sina Zeighaminejad also placed at the top of Iran's gold-medalist table with three gold medals and one bronze in para-swimming.
This 24-year-old swimmer won gold in the S10 50m freestyle, S10 100m freestyle, and SB9 100m breaststroke, and earned a bronze medal in the SM10 200m individual medley.
With four medals, Zeighaminejad shared the title of the most medaled athlete of the Iranian delegation in terms of total medals alongside Shahin Izadyar, who won three silvers and one bronze, with the difference that Zeighaminejad's three gold medals placed him at the top of Iran's gold standings.
Over a Quarter Share of Iran's Golds by Three Athletes
The "Jan Fadaye Iran-e Ghavi" delegation finished the 5th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games with a total of 102 medals, comprising 26 golds, 36 silvers, and 40 bronzes.
Out of the total 26 gold medals of the Iranian delegation, seven were won by three athletes; three golds belonged to Sina Zeighaminejad and two golds to each of Elham Salehi and Alireza Zare.
In other words, these three athletes single-handedly won nearly 27 percent of the Iranian delegation's gold medals—a statistic that demonstrates their decisive role in our country's final record.
Source: Varzesh 3
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