TEHRAN — Iran’s men’s national sitting volleyball team secured a place in the final of the fifth Asian Para Games after defeating China in straight sets with a dominant performance.
Iran swept China 3–0, winning the sets 25–12, 25–9 and 25–17 to advance to the gold-medal match.
In the other semifinal, Kazakhstan defeated Iraq 3–2 to become the first team to reach the final. Iran will face Kazakhstan in the men’s sitting volleyball final on Friday, with the Iranian team aiming to claim another gold medal at the continental competition.
Iran, who have won gold at the previous four editions of the Asian Para Games, are regarded as one of the dominant forces in Asian sitting volleyball.
Speaking ahead of the final, Iran head coach Hadi Rezaei stressed that his team must not underestimate Kazakhstan, warning that their opponents would enter the decisive match with nothing to lose.
Rezaei described Iran’s victory over China as the result of executing the team’s strategy effectively.
“We took the match very seriously,” he said. “By identifying China’s weaknesses, we managed to take their captain out of the game early on.”
The Iranian coach also highlighted his decision to give younger players an opportunity during the match. Iran started with their first-choice lineup before introducing younger athletes as the contest progressed.
“These young players are the main foundation of the national team’s future,” Rezaei said.
Looking ahead to the final, Rezaei emphasized that Kazakhstan would compete with full determination and warned his players against complacency.
“Kazakhstan will give everything in the final and have nothing to lose, so we must not underestimate them,” he said.
Rezaei also reflected on Kazakhstan’s hard-fought semifinal victory over Iraq, noting that the Iraqi team could have won had its players believed more strongly in their abilities.
Iran will now turn their attention to Friday’s final, where Rezaei’s side will seek to maintain their record of success in the competition and secure another Asian Para Games gold medal.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
