TEHRAN - Khashayar Hazrati, coach of Iran’s national swimming team, says Mohammadmahdi Gholami’s first-ever gold in Iran’s swimming history could mark a turning point for the sport and help Iran secure greater achievements.

Gholami won the gold medal in the Boys' 100m Butterfly at the 2025 Asian Youth Games on Monday with a time of 54.75 seconds.

 It was Iran’s first-ever gold in this discipline. Jamesray Ajido of the Philippines (55.11) and Kin Hei James Lau of Hong Kong (55.23) won silver and bronze, respectively.

“Our young swimmers have been in a training camp for several months under the guidance of their Turkish coach, and they are progressing well. For example, Gholami swam 56.50 eight months ago, and during this period he reduced his time to 54.0 seconds—roughly two seconds off his own record—and he could win a gold medal at the Youth Asian Games for the first time ever,” Hazrati told Tehran Times in an exclusive interview.

“We hope that in the next two to three days, as the Games continue, he can also win a medal in the 200-meter butterfly, and, of course, our other swimmers can win medals as well. I think our swimming program has grown in recent years, especially since the Turkish head coach joined Iran. Our swimmers’ methods have changed,” he added.

Regarding whether this progress can carry into the senior division, Hazrati said: “Gholami is only 16 years old and has a very bright future if his training continues so that he can achieve strong results in the coming years. The same holds for the other swimmers who were sent to Bahrain, including those who had the chance to be selected. Proper training and continued support from the Swimming Federation, the Ministry of Sports, and the National Olympic Committee can help Iran’s swimming grow and advance. This is a chain that must not be broken if we are to witness shining achievements from our swimmers in the future.”