TEHRAN - Mehdi Olfati's exceptional performance is attributed to his efforts and dedication, Iran national gymnastics team head coach Reza Kheirkhah said.

The 2022 Asian Games will forever be remembered by Iran’s gymnastic for the medal won by Olfati.

Olfati claimed a silver medal in the men's vault on Friday with 14.783 points.

Olfati's success in reaching the final was seen as a great achievement, considering Iranian gymnasts struggled in other disciplines.

Moreover, due to management issues, the gymnastics federation of Iran faced many many troubles in the last two years and was suspended for a while. As a result, the federation was unable to send any gymnasts to the tournaments. Despite the bizarre scenario, Olfati managed to do the impossible and surprise all gymnastic experts and fans.

Olfati’s medal is Iran’s first medal in gymnastic in history of the Asian Games.

“We had been planning for this medal for 6-7 years, but it was Mahdi's talent, dedication, and hard work that played a vital role in winning this silver medal,” said Kheirkhah in his interview with Tehran Times.

“Iran lacks standard gymnastic equipment and our level cannot be compared with the top countries,” he added.

Wataru Tanigawa of Japan clinched the top spot in the vault with 15.016 points.

“It should be noted that Mehdi's Japanese rival is an Olympics champion and very formidable. In reality, Olfati created a masterpiece while competing against world champions. He had a spectacular performance in the final,” said Kheirkhah.