Tehran, Feb 24, IRNA – Iranian para-archer Zahra Nemati has been shortlisted by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) among the list of five candidates for the 2018 International Women’s Day Recognition Award.
The 32-year-old archer made history as the first Iranian woman to win a Paralympic or Olympic medal when she collected women’s individual recurve W1/W2 gold at the 2012 London Paralympic Games which was followed by the same triumph at the Rio Games in 2016.
Nemati has also won three world titles – most recently at the 2017 World Archery Para Championships in Beijing, China, last September.
As a pioneer and role model, the influence she has exerted over Iranian women during the past years has been substantial.
To create the shortlist, all IPC members were invited to nominate someone who they felt embodies the spirit of the Paralympics and who inspires women within it. The shortlist was then compiled by the members of the IPC’s Women in Sport Committee, Chairperson Rita van Driel, and three-time Paralympic champion hand cyclist and alpine skiing Paralympic medalist Muffy Davis.
The eventual winner of the prize will be voted on by the full committee and will be announced on International Women’s Day on March 8, exactly one day before the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony.