TEHRAN - Iranian women’s cyclist Mandana Dehghan is aiming to return home from the Nagoya Asian Games with the most coveted medal.

Dehghan, who is currently in China training and competing with her club team, told Tehran Times in an exclusive interview that she hopes to make history at the Asian Games.

“Despite all the difficulties this year, particularly the wartime conditions and the events that affected our training, I tried not to miss even a single training session,” Dehghan said.

The Iranian cyclist has spent around a month in China competing in races as she looks to sharpen her competitive edge and reach peak form ahead of Nagoya.

“I hope to reach 100 percent fitness by the Asian Games and compete in one of the best conditions of my career,” she said.

Asked about her medal expectations in Nagoya, Dehghan was clear about her ambition.

“My goal is definitely to win the most coveted medal at the Asian Games,” she said. “But regardless of the result, I will continue my journey with even greater strength and motivation, because I feel this is what I was born to do.”

Dehghan also highlighted one of the major challenges facing road cyclists in Tehran and Karaj: the lack of suitable and safe training routes.

“Unfortunately, the absence of proper roads for road cycling is one of the biggest problems for cyclists in Tehran and Karaj,” she said.

“Our discipline is road cycling, and professional athletes need to spend hours riding on roads to train. Many roads in Tehran and Karaj are either extremely congested or prohibit cycling, so athletes face serious difficulties finding suitable routes.”

She called for greater attention from city officials and proposed developing a dedicated professional cycling facility.

“Ordinary cycling paths built across cities are excellent for recreational and public use, but they cannot meet the needs of professional athletes or replace a standard training route,” Dehghan said.

“If I were the mayor of Tehran, one of the options I would definitely consider would be the second phase of Chitgar Park. The area has great potential, and with proper planning, we could create a technical and attractive cycling circuit of around 10 kilometers. By restricting vehicle access, it could become a completely safe and standard training venue.”

Dehghan believes such a project could provide a major boost to cycling in Iran.

“We could have a professional cycling track, or something like a specialized cycling park, where amateur cyclists could enjoy the sport while professional athletes could carry out their training under standard conditions,” she said.

“In my opinion, establishing such a facility would be one of the greatest services we could provide to cycling in Iran, particularly in Tehran and Alborz provinces.”