Rio Gold Medals Made Me Relax: Sareh Javanmardi
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Para-shooter Sareh Javanmardi says that two gold medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games certainly have made her relax.
She won historic Rio victories in the P2 (women's 10m air pistol SH1) and P4 (mixed 50m pistol SH1), which made her become Iran’s first female Paralympic champion in the sport.
“Frankly, during the six months following Rio, I did not train on a regular basis. I needed time to process, to rest, to recharge. I also wanted to take my time to think about my future plans in the sport as well as about ways to continue being successful at what I do.”
About two months ago, Javanmardi started with light training and almost daily workouts again, saying: “I am trying to regain my former shape as quickly as possible.”
Now, she does so with confidence and peace of mind, which was a long-term effect of the Rio golds, she stated.
“In terms of what I had wanted to achieve in my sport, the medals certainly have made me relax and feel a calmness I had not experienced before. Whatever competition I will participate in the future, even in the next Paralympic Games, I will benefit from my experiences in Rio,” she said.
This season, Javanmardi will continue to take it slow; only the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Croatia from 19-27 September is a current focus.
Her eyes are already set on the 2018 World Championships in May. Then come qualification events for the Paralympics, the Para Asian Games, and eventually Tokyo 2020, Paralympic.org wrote.
“They are not finalized yet but I am currently developing my daily training programmes for Tokyo 2020. At least at this point in my shooting career I feel like nothing can really disappoint me.”
