No. 37 Nemati secures both Olympic, Paralympic spots for Iran

"I do my best to catch honours in Olympic and Paralympic Games simultaneously. I am so happy to get that since I motivate all archers in my country."

Iran’s Zahra Nemati made history again by securing a spot for her country not only at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, but Olympics as well. This comes in at No. 37 in the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Top 50 Moments of 2015.

Nemati, who became the first woman from her country to win an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal at London 2012, took silver in the women's recurve at the Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, on 8 November.

The para-archery Asian Championships followed after, and again, Nemati secured Iran a Paralympic quota spot after winning the recurve women’s open competition.

"[8 November] is considered to me as a historical day," Nemati said after the competition. "I do my best to catch honours in Olympic and Paralympic Games simultaneously. I am so happy to get that since I motivate all archers in my country."

The last archer to compete in both Games in the same year was Italy’s Paola Fantato at Atlanta 1996. Paola won five Paralympic gold medals, three individually, over a para archery career that saw her attend each Paralympic Games from 1988 to 2004.

“I was so worn out by the Asian Archery competition, but now I am so excited and really keen to compete in both Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games," Nemati said. "The Paralympic slot boosts my confidence and enthusiasm."

Nemati’s accomplishment was among the top moments in the sport which saw a few landmarks reached in August’s World Archery Para Championships in Donaueschingen, Germany.

This year’s World Championships re-introduced visually impaired archery for the first time since 2009 after the IPC transferred responsibility of the event to World Archery. It saw 15 athletes from five countries compete.

Donaueschingen 2015 also marked the first World Championships with a competition for W1 women. Of the 11 who competed from eight nations, three tied on the same day. China’s Guo Ying and Great Britain’s Jo Frith and Jessica Stretton all scored 640 out of 720 points for the 72-arrow ranking round. In the end, Ying came away with the gold medal.

One of the most memorable world records set during the season was also at Donaueschingen 2015. Czech Republic’s Beijing 2008 champion David Drahoninsky won his first world title in the W1 men’s competition, setting a world record in the quarterfinals. He now holds a majority of world records in the W1 category.

To find out more about the IPC’s Top 50 Moments of 2015, visit the dedicated page on the IPC’s website.