TOKYO – Asghar Azizi Aghdam from Iran won the country’s 12th gold medal in the 2020 Paralympic Games on Saturday.

The taekwondo player grabbed the gold in the men’s k44 +75kg at the Makuhari Messe Hall B after defeating Croatian Ivan Mikulic 12-10 in the final match.

Azizi started the campaign with an 11-9 win over Costa Rican Esteban Molina Gomez in quarterfinals and then beat Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC)’s Zainutdin Ataev 9-4 in the semifinals.

Azizi’s medal was Iran’s 12th medal in the 2020 Paralympic Games.

Powerlifters Rouhollah Rostami, judo athletes Vahid Nouri and Mohammad Reza Kheirollahzade, long jumper Amir Khosravani, shot putter Mahdi Olad, javelin thrower Hashemiyeh Motaghian, shooter Sareh Javanmardi, javelin thrower Saeid Afrooz, archer Zahra Nemati, javelin thrower Hamed Amiri and sitting volleyball team had already won 11 gold medals for Iran.