TEHRAN - Arash Sadeghiani, an expert in Iranian volleyball, believes that the national team's gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games can alleviate pressure.

After a period of failure, Iran's men's volleyball team bounced back to win their third consecutive gold medal in the Asian Games and maintained their dominance in Asia.

Team Melli achieved a 3-1 victory against China at Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium on Tuesday.

“Iran's win is very important, especially following their loss to Japan in the 2023 Asian Volleyball Championship final in our country, which put immense pressure on the players and coaching staff,” said Sadeghiani in his interview with Tehran Tiems.

Iran's sole gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou was earned by the volleyball team, and it remains their only one so far.

“The fact that Iran's delegation won its first gold medal at Hangzhou by the volleyball team added more value to this medal and brought joy to all Iranians.

“Iran's national team steadily improved with each game, reaching their peak during the final against host country China,” added the head coach of Iran men's U16 volleyball team.

Prior to the final, Iran beat Nepal 3-0, Bahrain 3-1, Thailand 3-0 and Qatar 3-0.

Japan, Iran's main contenders, sent their second team to Hangzhou and were defeated by the China in the semifinals.

“Japan had planned to send their younger team to Hangzhou, but their current team still underwent a three-month training camp in Europe and were strong. Despite this, the China national team were stronger and defeated Japan in the semifinals.

“The team's success can relieve pressure and lead to good results in the 2024 Olympics qualifiers, potentially bringing them back to the peak of Asian volleyball and among the best in the world,” he concluded.