FILE PHOTO: People walk outside the security fence of Olympic Stadium (National Stadium) built for Tokyo Olympic Games, that have been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan June 11, 2021. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski
Iranian sprinter Farzaneh Fasihi said it was a dream come true after she qualified for the women’s 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics under the universality quota.
The universality quota allows one female and male participant each from a country to take part in the Olympics, provided no other athlete from the same gender naturally qualifies for the competition.
“It was like a dream for myself. I felt like I was dreaming, I felt like I hadn’t woken up yet. I was shocked,” Fasihi told West Asia News Agency.
“The feeling is indescribable and I truly wish every girl who is trying for this to be able to experience this feeling one day. My family all had tears of joy.”
Fasihi is the ninth Iranian female athlete to qualify for the July 23-Aug. 8 Games.
“As an Iranian woman I want to perform well at my own level. I don’t mean to say our level is low, no. To have reached this point means that our level is very high,” she said.