TEHRAN - Hedyeh Kazemi, a member of the senior women national kayak team, believes that Brazilian coach Pedro Sena has had a positive impact on Iran rowing national team.

Kazemi secured a bronze medal in the Women's Kayak Single 500m event at the 2022 Asian Games, completing the race in 2:00.635.

Hedieh Kazemi's hopes of repeating her silver medal from five years ago in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games were dashed as she won bronze in Hangzhou, remaining the only Iranian women's Kayak medalist in the tournament.

“The expectations from the Iran Canoe Federation (ICF) was high but it should be logical as well,” Kazemi said in his interview with Tehran Times.

“Before the Asian Games, we obtained impressive results in both the Asian Championships and the World Championships.

“I was going to win gold or repeat the silver medal in Hangzhou. However, a severe illness after the World Championships in Germany prevented me from training for about two weeks. I could have won the gold or silver if I was fit,” she added.

Some experts and national team members believe that the weakness of the national team lies in its technical staff, especially head coach Pedro Sena. Kazmei reflected her views in this regard.

“Pedro was hired by the federation after careful consideration. The technical committee of the federation should analyze these issues. As an athlete, I made the most of Pedro's experience, and overall, I think he had a positive impact on the team.

“I had faith in the federation's decisions regarding Pedro and the technical staff, and fortunately, I witnessed the positive outcome in the Asian Championships, World Championships, and Asian Games,” she concluded.