Iran’s taekwondo sensation Kimia Alizadeh will miss the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, after suffering a ligament injury.
The 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medalist was hit by the injury during a training session on Sunday morning and an MRI test later in the day confirmed a torn ACL.
The news came as a shock as the 20-year-old was due to carry the national flag in the opening ceremony of the Games in Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on August 18.
Alizadeh will be replaced by Melika Mir-Hosseini in the women’s -67kg weight division in the taekwondo competitions, – starting on August 19 – Iran’s women’s head coach Mahrou Komrani confirmed.
Alizadeh – who has won two world championships medals in 2015 (bronze) and 2017 (silver) – went down in the history of Iran’s sport in 2016 as the first-ever female to win an Olympic medal.
Source:Irandaily