The 100-year-old father of Iranian diving returned to the diving platform!

The 2024 World Swimming Championships in Doha, Qatar is in full swing, the diving event has ended, and the Chinese team has won 9 gold medals. And on the diving stage, there was also a moving scene. Before the start of the women's 3-meter springboard final, an old man slowly walked to the 1-meter platform, and he jumped into the water smoothly in the extremely warm applause of the audience. This Iranian man with white sideburns is 100 years old this year. Because of his love for diving, he returned to the stage and won a heavy gold medal.

In 1951, at the first Asian Games in New Delhi, India, the 27-year-old Taji Askali represented Iran in the men's 10-meter platform and a bronze medal in the men's 10-meter springboard and 3-meter springboard competitions, making him the first athlete in history to complete a handstand and backflip in a platform jump. Ascali went on to compete in various diving competitions until the age of 41, ending his career with a gold medal.

After 73 years of winning Asian Games medals, Iran's "father of diving" returns to action with a 1-meter platform at the 2024 World Championships. Askari slowly walked to the edge of the jump, and while it wasn't like a simple jump into the water like he did when he was younger, it was no easy feat to complete the dive at the age of 100. Ascali jumped into the water to a round of applause before returning to the podium, where the FINA president awarded him a gold medal. The old Iranian's eyes were red, and he cried with joy.

When Ascali was a child, he saw a group of children in the neighborhood trying to dive in different ways, and he slowly became interested in diving from observation, and then gradually learned and fell in love with diving. Askali had fainted during a race due to poor water inability and was admitted to the hospital after regaining consciousness, unable to see for several days, but he recovered in time to participate in the national championship and successfully won gold.

The 100-year-old admits that his return to diving is due to his love of diving, which is a big motivation to stay fit: "The only thing I want to tell you is that I love the sport and being involved in it keeps me fit. This can be a good motivation for you to participate in the World Championships and other competitions. ”