Mahdi Olfati (Persian: مهدی الفتی; born 6 March 2001)[1] is an Iranian artistic gymnast. He qualified to represent Iran at the 2024 Summer Olympics through the 2024 FIG World Cup series. He finished seventh in the Olympic vault final. At the 2022 Asian Games, he won a silver medal on the vault. This was the first time an Iranian gymnast won a medal at the Asian Games.
| Mahdi Olfati | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 6 March 2001 Gorgan, Iran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Iran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2017 - present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editOlfati began gymnastics when he was seven years old and joined the Iranian national team in 2017.[2] At the 2017 Junior Asian Championships, he finished eighth on the vault.[3] He placed ninth in the all-around at the 2018 Junior Asian Championships.[4]
Olfati finished sixth in the vault final at the 2021 Doha World Cup.[5] He competed with the Iranian team that finished seventh at the 2022 Asian Championships.[6]
Olfati won a silver medal on the vault at the 2023 Cottbus World Cup.[7] He also competed at the 2023 World Cups in Doha and Baku, finishing eighth and fourth on the vault, respectively.[8][9] He then represented Iran at the 2022 Asian Games, which were held in 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He won the silver medal on the vault, marking the first time Iran won a gymnastics medal at the Asian Games.[2][10]
Olfati competed in the 2024 FIG World Cup series to earn points for Olympic qualification. At the first event in Cairo, he finished fifth in the vault final.[11] He then won the silver medal at the Cottbus World Cup.[12] With his results on the World Cup series, he earned a berth for the 2024 Olympic Games.[13] He became the first Iranian gymnast to compete at the Olympic Games since Jalal Bazargan Vali in 1964.[14] He was selected to be Iran's flagbearer in the opening ceremonies alongside Neda Shahsavari.[15][16] He finished seventh in the vault final with an average score of 14.266.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Sport & NOC Entries by Event – Islamic Republic of Iran". Olympic Council of Asia. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b Qazvinian, Mahdieh (5 November 2023). "Iranian Olfati on historic gymnastics medal at Asian Games". Iran Daily. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Results for 14th Junior Asian Championships 2017 Bangkok (THA)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Hopkins, Lauren (30 April 2018). "2018 Asian Junior Championships Men's Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Results for FIG Apparatus World Cup 2020–21 Doha (QAT)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Hopkins, Lauren (21 June 2022). "2022 Asian Championships Men's Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Gymnasts from seven nations snag titles at Cottbus World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Results for FIG Apparatus World Cup 2023 Doha (QAT)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "FIG Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup AGF Trophy Men Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Iranian gymnast Olfati makes history in Asian Games". Iran Press. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Results for FIG Apparatus World Cup 2024 – Qualifying OG 2024 Cairo (EGY)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Iran's Olfati takes silver at Gymnastics World Cup". Tehran Times. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "23 more Artistic gymnasts have earned Olympic berths! See who's headed to Paris here". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Olfati Mahdi". Paris 2024. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Shahsavari, Olfati named Iran's flag-bearers for 2024 Olympic Games". Tehran Times. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Five gymnasts to be flag bearers at Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony". International Gymnastics Federation. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ Hesabi, Farrokh (17 August 2024). "Mahdi Olfati expresses satisfaction with his performance in 2024 Olympics". Tehran Times. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
