Iranian para-archer Zahra Nemati has spoken of the difficulties she had faced in the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio.

Expectations in Rio were high for Nemati since she became the first Iranian woman who wins a gold in either the Olympics or Paralympics at the 2012 London.

Nemati was Iran’s sole representative in the 2016 Olympic Games but it didn’t go well for the country’s flag-bearer.

She had to return to Rio to compete in the Paralympics as well, however, Nemati was not mentally fit.

In September, the wheelchair-bound woman pushed all doubts away and took part in her second Paralympic Games.

Nemati made history for the second time after grabbing a gold medal in the women's individual recurve open.

She had already took a silver in the recurve open mixed team competition.

“Expectations in Rio were high and I was under pressure. As you know, it’s more difficult to repeat the success. Also, I had a tough task ahead of me since I was exhausted after participating at the Olympics,” Nemati said.

“To participate in the warm-up competitions and Olympic experience helped me to show a good performance at the Paralympics,” she stated.

The former taekwondo fighter, whose spinal cord was severed in a car crash when she was 18, was eliminated by Russian archer Inna Stepanova in the first round at the Olympics.

“At the Olympic Games, the media was focusing on me since I was a disabled athlete and it really annoyed me. I was also faced with some problems due to facilities in Rio and all of these worsened the condition and I failed to get the expected results,” Nemati said.

“I think the Iranian archery team did a good job in Rio since Gholamreza Rahimi claimed a gold medal in the individual recurve open as well. Also, Ebrahim Ranjbar took a silver medal in the mixed team recurve open as well as a bronze medal in the individual recurve,” the Iranian para-archer concluded.