Iran defector loses to old friend and former taekwondo teammate at Paris Olympics
Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh, right, reacts at the end of a women's 57kg Taekwondo match against Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. Credit: AP/Andrew Medichini
One wore a veil, the other fought with her head bare.
Nahid Kiyani Chandeh and Kimia Alizadeh were once friends and roommates as part of the junior Iran taekwondo team. Now an entire world separates them.
They clashed Thursday at the Paris Olympics in the 57-kilogram division, and Alizadeh, who defected from Iran, lost her bid to win a gold medal for her new country, Bulgaria.
Kiyani Chandeh, the current world champion, came out on top of a very tense fight that was settled by a referee decision after the athletes, both 26, finished with seven points apiece in the decisive third round.
Alizadeh had a three-point lead in the decider with six seconds left, but Kiyani Chandeh leveled with a kick to the head and was handed the victory by superiority.
Kiyani Chandeh then lost in the final, and Alizadeh claimed a bronze medal after going through a repechage process.
Alizadeh was the first Iranian female athlete to win an Olympic medal when she claimed bronze in Rio de Janeiro at age 18.
Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh reacts at the end of a women's 57kg Taekwondo match against Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. Credit: AP/Andrew Medichini
Her win catapulted her to fame, but she grew frustrated with life in Iran. As she announced she was leaving her country four years ago, she accused Iranian officials of sexism and criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf.
At the time, she described herself as “one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran.”
After heading to Germany, she became a member of the Refugee Olympic Team and came close to earning a bronze medal in Tokyo.
“This medal is not just for me. I had an opportunity to represent refugees and I want to give this medal to all the refugees around the world," she said. "And I hope it was a little bit of light for them.”
Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi reacts at the end of a women's 57kg Taekwondo match against Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. Credit: AP/Andrew Medichini
In April, she left the IOC team — created in 2016 to provide opportunities for victims of political persecution and war — when she announced she had received Bulgarian citizenship.
The round-of-16 fight Thursday between the rivals — who used to be roommates at Iran's national training center during their youth year — was revenge for Kiyani Chandeh, who lost to Alizadeh in Tokyo.
She belted out her joy and clenched her fists in delight after her win and celebrated with her coach as Alizadeh took a knee. The rivals didn’t even glance at each other as they exited the octagonal combat zone, and then declined to speak to reporters.
Asked whether the bout was politically charged, the president of the Iranian taekwondo federation said it was just a “very hard match.”
“This is a sport, it's not politics,” Hadi Saei said. “She is in the Bulgaria team now, we respect everybody. Their relationship is not bad.”
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