TEHRAN – Seventy-three years after successful silver and bronze medals in diving on the first Asian Games in New Delhi, Iran’s Taghi Askari will compete once more in 2024, this time on the age of 100, in Doha. At the World Aquatics Masters Championships, he as soon as once more stepped as much as the plate.
Askari, the oldest competitor on the championships, appeared earlier than the ladies’s 3m springboard last on the Hamad Aquatic Center to mark the two-week countdown to the world’s largest Masters swimming competitors. I took a dive.
Askari informed World Swimming earlier this week that he stop the game on the age of 41 however would return to dive in Doha for his love of the game, worldaquatics.com reported.
“The final time I gained was after I was 41 years previous after I was competing on the nationwide stage,” Ascari stated.
“I gained a gold medal at nationwide stage after which I stated goodbye to the game, however not less than I acquired a gold medal.”
Askari’s worldwide diving profession started on the first Asian Games in New Delhi, with 489 athletes competing in six sports activities in 1951, and 11,935 athletes competing in 40 occasions in 2022. The gamers have grown to the purpose the place they’ll take part.
Asked about his ideas on the evolution of the game, Ascari was fast to say he nonetheless has the identical love he had as an adolescent all these years in the past.
“When we first participated within the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951, the extent of Iranian diving was very excessive and we gained two medals,” Askari stated.
“But by the point the video games have been held in Tehran in 1974, Chinese swimmers had entered this stunning sport and so they started to enhance considerably. We stayed on the similar stage as at first and gave them I couldn’t catch up.”
“For me, I’ve beloved diving since I used to be an adolescent till as we speak. I’ve at all times beloved diving. Nothing has modified between 1951 and now apart from my efficiency.”
As for recommendation for athletes competing within the World Aquatics Masters Championships in two weeks’ time, or contemplating participating within the Singapore 2025 Games, Ascari informed World Aquatics there are two necessary fundamentals. .
“The solely factor I need to let you know is about loving this sport and staying wholesome. This is usually a good motivation to take part in these championships and completely different championships.”