Olympic silver medalist Ehsan Hadadi tests positive for coronavirus

Olympic & World Championships medalist, #Iran discus hero #EhsanHadadi tests positive for #COVID2019

Hadadi has 4 Asian Games & 6 Asian Athletics Championships Gold Medals to his name including the one he won in #Bhubaneswar 2017.

Speedy recovery champ💪

Photo:Bhubaneswar 2017 pic.twitter.com/KPOMn0BBUc

— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) March 28, 2020

“Ehsan has self-quarantined after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus,” Iran Athletic Federation doctor Ashkan Ordibehesht said, according to a press release.

A legend for his country in the field of athletics, Hadadi had won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, which was the first time Iran had won a medal at the Games in sports other than wrestling, weightlifting and taekwondo. Hadadi is also Iran’s first ever medalist at the IAAF World Championships – he won bronze in the 2011 edition.

Hadadi, 35, had been aiming to win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics and break the record for the longest discus throw this year, before the coronavirus pandemic threw all plans awry.

“The Olympic record for the longest discus throw is 69.89 metres. I believe that throwing 70 metres is possible. I am following my dreams,” Hadadi had said in an interview with Tehran Times earlier this year.

Hadadi is the current holder of the Asian record for the longest discus throw – 69.32 metres.

4⃣ times in a row!

Iran’s 🇮🇷 Ehsan Hadadi has won the gold medal in discus throw at every Asian Games since 2006! 💪
PC – Backpagepix#AsianGames pic.twitter.com/GhkdbnOcj0

— Olympic Council of Asia (@AsianGamesOCA) March 17, 2019

Iran’s Health Ministry on Friday announced 144 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, raising the death toll to 2,378 across the country.