Iranians grab 13 more medals in Islamic Games

Iranian sportsmen and sportswomen have continued to put in sparkling performances at the ongoing 4th edition of Islamic Solidarity Games in Azerbaijan, and earned 13 more medals to lift the Islamic Republic's medal tally to 37 at the multinational and multi-sport event.

On Tuesday, Iran's 22-year-old weightlifter Seyyed Ayoob Mousavijarahi edged Uzbek contestant Farkhodbek Sobirov in the men's 94-kilogram weight category at the Weightlifting Arena in the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku, and received the gold medal with an aggregate of 381 kilograms.

Sobirov's overall register marked 380 kilograms and finished in the second place, while Rovshan Fatullayev secured the aggregate bronze medal with 376 kilograms.Iran's female sports shooter Golnoush Sebghatollahi also collected a silver medal.

Sebghatollahi claimed the top position at the end of the individual women's 10-meter air pistol contests in the Baku Shooting Center with 239.3 points.Afaf el-Hodhod, a representative from Egypt, accumulated 236.3 points to finish in the second place and clinch silver.Nigar Nasirova from Azerbaijan settled for the bronze, having racked up 211.5 points overall.

Additionally, Pourya Norouziyan scored 454.6 points in the men's 50m rifle 3 position event to finish on top of the podium, and clinch the yellow metal.His compatriot Hossein Bagheri finished in the second place with a score of 451.1 points, and claimed the silver medal.

Omani contestant Hamed Said al-Khatari shot a total of 440.3 points, and landed in the third spot to take away the bronze.Iranian discus thrower and London 2012 Olympics silver medalist Ehsan Haddadi threw 60.54 meters and received a silver medal.

Iraqi athlete Mustafa al-Saamah was awarded the gold medal with a throw of 60.89 meters, and Saultan al-Dawodi earned the bronze, having thrown 58.63 meters.In the men's shot put F57 competitions, Javid Ehsani Shakib and Javad Dalakeh had a throw of 13.74 and 13.06 meters to land in the second and third slots respectively.Samir Nabiyev from Azerbaijan threw 13.95 meters and collected the gold medal.

Furthermore, Alireza Ghaleh Nasseri and Ali Mohammadyari placed second and third respectively in the men's shot put F56 class, having recorded 10.49 and 10.37 meters.Azerbaijani shot putter Olokhan Musayev got the gold with 11.86 meters.

Furthermore, Nahid Kiyanichandeh got the gold medal in the women's minus 53-kilogram weight division after she managed to overcome her Turkish opponent Zeliha Agris in the final encounter of the category at the Baku Sports Hall.

Iranian taekwondo practitioners Fatemeh Madahi and Tayebeh Parsa also earned the bronze medal in the women's minus 46-kilogram and minus 57-kilogram weight classes.Later in the tournament,  Mahdi Es'haghi defeated Azerbaijani representative Gashim Magomedov in the final competition of men's minus 54-kilogram weight section, and collected the gold medal.

The 4th Islamic Solidarity Games started in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 12 under the motto "Solidarity is Our Strength." The tournament will wrap up on May 22, 2017.

Athletes from 54 Muslim countries around the world are representing their nations over 10 days of competition across 20 different sports, which include 23 disciplines (athletics and para-athletics, aquatics - diving, aquatics - swimming, aquatics - water polo, basketball 3x3, football, gymnastics - artistic, gymnastics - rhythmic, wushu, table tennis, handball, judo and blind judo, wrestling - Greco, wrestling - freestyle, shooting, tennis, volleyball, boxing, zurkhaneh, karate, taekwondo and weightlifting) in 16 world-class sporting venues.

Turkey is on the top of the medal count table with 115 medals (43 gold, 40 silvers and 32 bronzes).Azerbaijan has claimed the second spot with 81 medals (41 gold, 24 silvers, 16 bronzes), while the Islamic Republic of Iran is on the third with a total of 37 medals (ten gold, twelve silvers and 15 bronzes).

Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have earned the 4th to 10th places respectively.