TEHRAN – Afshin Farzam, head coach of Iran’s men’s rowing team, said that they could have performed better at the 2025 Asian Championships held in Vietnam last week.

Iran’s Amirreza Ebdali and Amirhossein Mahmoudpour won a bronze medal in the Lightweight Double Sculls with a time of 6:43.24. Gold went to India (6:40.75) and silver to Uzbekistan (6:42.57).

“At the 2025 Asian Rowing Championships, we won a bronze in the lightweight double, but it could have been a higher medal. Mahmoudpour also competed in the lightweight single and had to prepare immediately for the double event, leaving no recovery time. We missed the silver by less than a second and were two seconds off gold,” Farzam told Tehran Times.

“Since Russian coach Rozhkov Vsevolod recently joined us and has been designing the national team’s programs for nearly two months, our rowers have worked to implement these plans with precision in training. He was very pleased and expressed hope that we could win two medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya,” he added.

“In meetings with the Ministry of Sports and the rowing federation, Vsevolod promised Iran would win two medals at the Asiad if facilities are provided. The level at the 2025 Asian Championships was high, but the Asian Games will be tougher, with stronger opponents. With adequate technical infrastructure and facilities, the men’s team can advance toward the federation’s goals,” Farzam stated.

“In the single sculls, last year we won silver and there was expectation this year of gold or at least silver, but that did not materialize. A more thorough federation review is needed to identify weaknesses. We are working to address the issues so that, as before, we can win medals,” Farzam said.

Regarding the separation of rowing from canoeing in Iran, Farzam expressed satisfaction, saying it will help the sport improve further.

“The separation of rowing from canoeing is positive. Mr. Roland, president of the World Canoeing Federation, welcomed this decision because, globally, the two sports operate independently. A favorable opportunity has arisen. Considering recent honors and last year’s results, this separation was necessary. Rowing must demonstrate that it can achieve goals larger than before, and this valuable opportunity must be seized in a way that satisfies Minister of Sports Mr. Donyamali. Overall, it must be shown that this decision was well considered,” he concluded.