Asian Teams

Iranian aiming high after surprise bronze

By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-14 09:54

GUANGZHOU - Iran's Seyedehazam Rezaei decided to stay in Guangzhou for two more days to enjoy the food and visit some scenic spots after winning a bronze medal in the women's R2-SH110m air rifle event on Monday at the Aoti Shooting Range.

"I know Guangzhou has a lot of delicious food and I will try to stay for a couple more days to enjoy it. Also, my coach, friends and I will visit some of the special places in this beautiful city," said Rezaei.

"I am so happy as I did not expect to win a medal. After the qualification round, I was in fourth place. My performance in the final was the very best I could do."

It is Rezaei's first time in China and her primary aim, initially, was to see how she matched up against some of the world's best shooters.

"I worked very hard before the competition and I just hoped to gain some more experience as I knew there were going to be strong shooters from China and Korea at the Asian Para Games," said Rezaei, who took up the sport three years ago.

"I was anxious when the competition started, but I tried to calm down and cope with the stress."

Rezaei said she loves the sport so much that, basically, all she thinks about each day is training.

"Shooting is a very interesting sport and I love it. I don't have any job right now, so I just focus on improving my skills," she said.

"I will work even harder and aim to get a good result at the 2012 Paralympic Games."

China Daily