Zahra Nemati ( fa, زهرا نعمتی, born 30 April 1985) is an Iranian Paralympic and Olympic archer. She originally competed in taekwondo before she was paralyzed in a car accident. At the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

she won two medals, an individual gold and team bronze. She has qualified to compete at both the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

and the

2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...

. She was the flag bearer at the 2016 Olympics and the postponed

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

in Tokyo where she shared the honour with thrower Nourmohammad Arekhi.

Personal life

Nemati was born in

Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...

, Iran. In 2003, she was injured in a car accident, leaving her with spinal injuries and paralysis of both legs.

Sports career

Prior to her injuries, Nemati had been a

black belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...

in taekwondo. She took up archery in 2006 and within six months finished third in the National Championships, competing against able bodied athletes. In para-archery events she competes in the W2 classification. Nemati was selected to compete for Iran at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, held in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, United Kingdom, where she won two medals, becoming the first Iranian woman to win a gold medal at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games. In the women's recurve W1/W2 event she placed first in the ranking round with a score of 613 and received a bye to the round of 16 where she beat

Mariangela Perna Mariangela is a given name. It may refer to: *Mariangela Argentino (born 1984), Italian singer *Mariangela Demurtas (born 1981), Italian singer in the gothic metal band Tristania *Mariangela Melato (born 1941), Italian actress *Mariangela Wallimann ...

of Italy 6–0. In the quarterfinals she defeated Turkey's

Gizem Girismen Gizem is a common feminine Turkish name, Turkish given name. In Turkish language, Turkish, "Gizem" means "Mystery", and/or "Enigma". Pronunciation is "GI-ZEM," with a hard "g" (as in "gift") and emphasis on the second syllable. People

* Gizem ...

again by a score of 6–0 and advanced to the gold medal match by winning her semifinal against Italy's

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6–0. Nemati faced

Elisabetta Mijno Elisabetta Mijno (born 10 January 1986) is an Italian Paralympic archer. Career At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Mijno won a silver medal. Then, at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, she won a bronze. She studied medicine at the University of Turin ...

of Italy in the final and secured the gold medal with a 7–3 win. She dedicated her gold medal to "all of the people who prayed for me to achieve this success." In the women's team recurve, Nemati was part of the Iranian team alongside Razieh Shir Mohammadi and Zahra Javanmard. They placed second in the ranking round with 1646 points and defeated the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals the Iranian team lost to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

by a score of 192–186 but went on to defeat

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

188–184 in the bronze medal match as Nemati claimed her second medal of the Games. At the

2013 World Para-archery Championships The 2013 World Para-archery Championships were the 12th edition of the World Para Archery Championships. The event took place in Thailand between November 1-7. Medal table Medalists Individual events Team events References

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held in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

, Thailand, she won the gold medal in the women's individual recurve W2 and a bronze medal in the women's team recurve. Iran delegation in Rio1

In 2015 Nemati made history by securing qualification for both the

and the

to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She qualified for the Olympics by placing second in the women's recurve at the 2015 Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok before winning gold at the 2015 Asian Para-archery Championships to qualify for the Paralympics. She is the first archer to qualify for both Games in the same year since Italian Paola Fantato in 1996. In January 2016 she was selected to be the flag bearer for the Iranian team during the Parade of Nations at the

2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 5 August 2016 in the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, starting at 20:00 BRT (23:00 UTC). As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the ...

. She competed in the women's individual event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She placed 49th in the ranking round with a score of 609. She was defeated by Inna Stepanova of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

in the round of 32. She finished in 33rd place.

Results

Source:

Paralympic Games

1 Individual Recurve - Open 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 1 Individual Recurve - W1/W2 2012 London, GBR 2 Team Recurve - Open 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 3 Team Recurve - Open 2012 London, GBR

World Championships

1 Individual Recurve - Open 2017 Beijing, CHN 1 Individual Recurve - W2 2013 Bangkok, THA 1 Team Recurve - Open 2011 Turin, ITA 2 Individual Recurve - W1/W2 2011 Turin, ITA 3 Team Recurve - Open 2017 Beijing, CHN 3 Team Recurve - Open 2013 Bangkok, THA 3 Team Recurve - Open 2011 Turin, ITA 4 Individual Recurve - Open 2019 's-Hertogenbosch, NED 4 Team Recurve - Open 2017 Beijing, CHN 7 Team Recurve - Open 2013 Bangkok, THA 9 Team Recurve - Open 2019 's-Hertogenbosch, NED

Asian Para Games

1 Team Recurve - Open 2018 Jakarta, INA 2 Individual Recurve - Open 2018 Jakarta, INA

Honors

Nemati won the 2013 Sport Accord's Spirit of Sport Individual Award.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nemati, Zahra Archers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Paralympic archers of Iran Paralympic gold medalists for Iran Paralympic silver medalists for Iran Paralympic bronze medalists for Iran 1985 births Place of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Kerman Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics World Archery Championships medalists Iranian female archers Olympic archers of Iran Archers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Archers at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Archers at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for Iran Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in archery Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics 21st-century Iranian women 20th-century Iranian women Medalists at the 2010 Asian Para Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Para Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Para Games