TEHRAN – Fastest Iranian athlete Hassan Taftian says that he would rather hold his training camps in his homeland but there are not enough facilities for his preparation.

Taftian is preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, where he will compete at the 100 meters event. He took part in Rio’s 100m semifinal race at the Olympic Stadium, and clocked 10.23 seconds to come last in his group, failing to claim a spot in the final challenge.

Now, the Iranian sprinter trains hard to make splash in Tokyo. Taftian works with French sprint coach Ontanon Guy and hopes to run in the upcoming Games in less than 10 seconds.

“I prefer to train in Iran but there are difficulties in terms of facilities. Being away from my family is annoying but I am forced to leave Iran,” Taftian said in an interview with Tehran Times.

“I’ve participated in the 60 meters event in French championships and the competitions have helped me improve for the Olympics. I hope to run in less than 10 seconds in Tokyo but it will be very difficult to win a medal in the Olympics since, as you know, the world’s best sprinters will participate in the Games,” Taftian stated.

Taftian will compete at the first edition of the International Athletic Imam Reza Cup Tournament which will take place in Mashhad, Iran.

“The competition will help the Iranian athletes gain experience. The tournament will surely be significant for me to prepare for the Olympic Games,” he concluded.