A white cap on her head, black sunglasses over her eyes, and a white hijab framing her gentle smile — Gisa Baybordi looked as serene as a blooming Persian rose. Moments earlier, Iran had defeated Bangladesh in the women’s team compound bronze medal match of the Teer 24th Asian Archery Championships.
The Iranian women’s joy after securing their first medal of the tournament was a sight to behold. As the late autumn sunlight of Dhaka glowed on their faces, it seemed to make the Iranian archers shimmer with pride. When they returned to the dugout after collecting their arrows from the target board, coach and staff rushed forward to embrace Gisa and her teammates.
Alongside Gisa, the Iranian line-up featured Fatemeh Bagheri and Shiva Bakhtiari. While Gisa had previously won medals twice in the Asian Archery Championships, it was the first podium finish for both Fatemeh and Shiva. Naturally, the two debut medallists were more thrilled than their experienced teammate.
Tehran-based Gisa shared her feelings about the tense moments before the medal was secured. “I’m so happy with our result,” said the excited Gisa after the match. “All of us performed well. Although everyone here was cheering loudly for Bangladesh, we just tried to focus on our shooting.”
Having already won silver and bronze in previous Asian Archery Championships held in Dhaka, Gisa considers the city her lucky venue. “Dhaka truly brings me good fortune,” she smiled.
In her 12-year archery career, Gisa’s ultimate dream remains to win an Olympic medal. “It’s not just me — this is every athlete’s biggest dream,” she added.
Fatemeh, who has been in archery for only two and a half years, was overjoyed to win her first international medal. “I wasn’t nervous at all during the last shot — just focused on giving my best. There was a bit of pressure, of course, but I’m thrilled to win my first medal,” she said.
Fatemeh shared that she is studying for a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at a college in Iran.
The tallest member of the team, Shiva, described how difficult it is to earn a place in Iran’s national squad. “It’s not easy to get into the Iranian team. There are so many good archers. You have to fight hard and go through a very competitive selection process. You must perform well at the national training camp to be selected,” said Shiva, who hails from Hamedan in western Iran.
Shiva dreams of competing in the Olympics one day — and wants to move forward step by step towards that goal.
Whether it is Fatemeh or Shiva, all eyes in the Iranian camp are now set on one grand dream — the Olympic podium. Their success in Dhaka marks a fragrant and promising step on that long and hopeful journey.
