Mojtaba Abedini Shourmasti ( fa, مجتبی عابدینی شورمستی; born 11 August 1984) is an Iranian 3-time Olympian

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

fencer. In 2012, he became the first Iranian fencer to compete in the Olympics. He won a bronze medal at the

2019 World Fencing Championships The 2019 World Fencing Championships was held from 15 to 23 July 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. Schedule Twelve events were held. ''All times are local (UTC+2).'' Medal summary Medal table Men's events Women's events References External l ...

, becoming the first-ever Iranian fencer to win a medal at the

World Fencing Championships The World Fencing Championships is an annual competition in fencing organized by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE; ''International Fencing Federation'' in English). Contestants may participate in foil, épée, and sabre events. Hi ...

Early life

Abedini was born in

Tehran, Iran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most pop ...

. He has a master's degree in Sport Administration/Management from the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

('14), and speaks English and Persian. His wife is Narges Faal, and he has two daughters.

Fencing career

Abedini won a bronze medal at the

in Budapest, Hungary, losing only to Hungarian former world champion András Szatmári, becoming the first-ever Iranian fencer to win a medal at the

. He qualified to compete in the men's sabre event of the 2012 Summer Olympics through a zone tournament held in

Wakayama City Wakayama City Hall is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 351,391 in 157066 households and a population density of 1700 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

, Japan, becoming the first Iranian fencer to compete at the Olympics. Abedini was defeated in the first round by Romania's

Florin Zalomir Florin Zalomir (; 21 April 1981 – 3 October 2022) was a Romanian sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napol ...

, and came in 37th in individual sabre."Mojtaba ABEDINI,"
Olympics.com. He also competed in men's individual sabre event at the 2016 Summer Olympics, coming in fourth. He reached the semifinals by a series of fine performances against the likes of Andriy Yahodka,

Gu Bon-gil Gu Bon-gil ( or ; born 27 April 1989) is a South Korean right-handed sabre fencer. Gu is an eight-time team Asian champion, seven-time individual Asian champion, and three-time team world champion. A three-time Olympian, Gu is a two-time te ...

, and Vincent Anstett but missed the chance to go on the podium when he was defeated by American Daryl Homer in the semifinals and Korean Kim Jung-hwan in the bronze medal match. Abedini competed at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

, coming in 11th in individual sabre and 6th in team sabre. He was captain of the Iranian sabre team, which appeared in the Olympics for the first time ever. Starting in 2021 he also served as a coach of the Iranian national youth fencing team. After the September 2022 death of 22-year-old

Mahsa Amini On 16 September 2022, the 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini,; ku, ژینا ئەمینی, Jîna Emînî died in a hospital in Tehran, Iran, under suspicious circumstances. The Guidance Patrol, the religious mor ...

in Iran under suspicious circumstances, following her arrest by the

Guidance Patrol The Guidance Patrol ( fa, گشت ارشاد, translit=gašt-e eršād) or morality police is a vice squad / Islamic religious police in the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, established in 2005 with the task of arresting ...

, the Islamic morality police of Iran's Law Enforcement Command, for not wearing a hijab in accordance with government standards, Abedini resigned fencing under the Iranian team, writing:

"Every time I played for the national team, it was with all my heart, because it was and is the first and last reason for the victory of the people of the land. The people of my land are being disrespected and beaten. I consider it my duty to express my sympathy and companionship with them. I must say goodbye to the Iranian national team forever out of respect for women and my country."

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abedini, Mojtaba 1984 births Living people Asian Games silver medalists for Iran Asian Games medalists in fencing People from Babol Fencers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 2006 Asian Games Fencers at the 2010 Asian Games Fencers at the 2014 Asian Games Fencers at the 2018 Asian Games Iranian male sabre fencers Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Olympic fencers of Iran Sportspeople from Mazandaran province Sportspeople from Tehran University of Tehran alumni 21st-century Iranian people 20th-century Iranian people Islamic Solidarity Games competitors for Iran

Early life

Fencing career

See also

References

External links