TEHRAN – Iranian woman cyclist Fatemeh Hadavand believes that her hard work paid off when she won a gold medal at the Silk Way Series Astana.

Hadavand ranked first in the Keirin section of the tournament. In addition, she earned three silver medals in separate disciplines.

“The competition was of high standard,” Hadavand said in his exclusive interview with Tehran Times.

“Since constructing wooden velodrome tracks for their cyclists in 2012, Kazakhstan's cycling has made tremendous progress,” she added.

The tournament was attended by athletes in the elite category from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Lithuania.

Cyclists could earn qualifying points for the World Championships and Olympics through Silk Way Series Astana competitions that were included in the International Cycling Union (UCI) calendar.

“I'm happy that I got the results I wanted. I did everything possible to get the best result and it worked out fortunately,” she added.

“I won a gold medal in the Keirin section by defeating Julia Golubkova, a title-holder opponent from the host country. Additionally, I won three silver medals, one in keirin, and two in 200m,” she added.

“We have demonstrated that Iranian female cyclists can compete and shine at the highest level. The biggest obstacles we face in Iran are the lack of a wooden velodrome track and inadequate facilities in the country,” Hadavand concluded.