TEHRAN - Mohammadmahdi Gholami, who won two gold medals at the 2025 Asian Youth Games (AYG), says that he expects the officials give more support to swimming.

Gholami made history by winning gold medals in the Boys' 100m and 200m Butterfly.

“I’m not saying that the level of swimming in the 2025 Asian Youth Games was very high, but it was such that earning medals there wasn’t easy. The number of participants was not small either. In this situation, I won gold in two events and for the first time in the history of these games, Iran’s swimming team earned a medal,” Gholami said.

He emphasized that winning the titles in Bahrain was something he expects.

“I went to Bahrain in perfect physical condition and with an overall great mindset. The results of the analyses also indicated that I was in very good form. In fact, I knew I would win a medal and make history. I had planned to win medals in all three events I entered, but one mistake prevented that.

“In the team event, the 4x100 medley relay, we could have won a medal, but we made an error in the breaststroke section and, therefore, missed the team medal. At the Asian Youth Games, we showed that by winning medals, we can help improve Iran’s overall ranking. I hope that from now on, officials will give more support to this sport.

Gholami also mentioned that before going to Bahrain, two planned overseas training camps were canceled.

“We were supposed to go to Armenia, but that trip was canceled due to financial issues and closed air routes. Then we were to have a camp in Thailand; the World Federation offered some assistance for this camp, but again, due to high costs and financial issues, it was canceled. I hope the federation will organize more complete camps for us so we can repeat these performances.”