An Iranian track cyclist who won a gold medal at the Asian Games in South Korea this weekend has been rewarded by his country in a singular way – he’s been excused compulsory military service, much to his mother’s relief.
Mohammad Daneshvarkhourram took on and beat some of Asia’s top track cyclists to win the Keirin in Incheon following a photo finish.
Competitors included Malaysia’s Azizul Awang defending champion, and overall winner of the Keirin in the 2008/09 UCI Track Cycling World Cup.
The 21-year-old student told AFP: "I called my mum afterwards and she couldn't say anything. All I could hear was crying!"
He added that he was “100 per cent” happy not to have to join the army now as a result of his gold medal.
Ranked number 235 in the world in the discipline, he said he has his sights set higher.
"I'm only 21 years old, this is my first Asian Games and I got a medal – I think I can be one of the best in the world," he explained.
Kazunari Watanabe of Japan – where Keirin racing was devised and remains hugely popular, took silver.
Malaysia’s Josiah Ng won bronze after his compatriot Awang was disqualified for riding into the sprinter’s lane already occupied by a rival cyclist.
13 thoughts on “Iranian cyclist wins Keirin gold at Asian Games – and gets excused military service”
Good luck with his future, a
Good luck with his future, a t least his mother can sleep at night without worrying.
THIS is how to make this
THIS is how to make this country better and reduce obesity, why didn’t the government think of this.
Introduce national service again, but you can get out my representing your country, not just at sport, but at anything which shows you have tried hard to be the best person you can be.
If you doss about and play computer games, don’t bother about school, then off for 2 years national service….
Gkam84 wrote:THIS is how to
Nice thought…
Gkam84 wrote:THIS is how to
As a serving member of the Armed Forces I can assure you that National Service wouldn’t work and would severely impact on our capability. We need professional volunteers not pressed men, it’s not the 17th century anymore. National Service is an aged and deeply flawed argument mainly pedalled by those with a complete lack of understanding of how the Armed Forces work or those riddled with Nationalistic fervour.
Personally I find your “You can get out of it if you try hard” statement insulting, we don’t all sign up because a judge tells us to. I can point you in the direction of infanteers with degrees if you wish.
Gkam84 wrote:THIS is how to
What a load of utter fucking bollocks.
Speaking as someone who did 10 years Army service, I find your comment ignorant and disrepectful, and lacking an appreciation of what it takes to produce a professional armed services.
People from the UK, the Commonwealth and other foreign nationals, serve in our armed forces because they want to. They have pride in doing their job, despite the carping and ignorance of certain parts of the public and the media, and the last thing they need is a bunch of whining work-shy layabouts cluttering up the place.
Yes there are some, a very small minority, who needed a possible custodial sentence to find an alternative lifestyle, but if they don’t measure up they’re out.
Many of our top athletes are serving personnel, who combine their sport with their military duties not do sport instead.
Gkam84 wrote:THIS is how to
Maybe for some kind of boot camp mixed in with menial work, but I don’t know any serving forces people who would be willing to trust the safety of people/kit/weapons/security etc to the kind of people to whom you refer… what happens when they don’t measure up? As strict as military discipline is, you can’t just beat recruits up until they make the required effort. If someone REALLY refuses to do something, and genuinely doesn’t want to be there, there’s not a lot the chain of command can do with them.
We went on a big Nato exercise in Spain, and on the night of our arrival, late and with everything still in wagons, the Spanish put us up for the night on a base with the National Service personnel. The food was foul, in meagre portions that would never keep an professional unit on it’s feet, and the looks from the Spanish conscripts when we more or less demanded cutlery (how are you supposed to eat a fried egg with your fingers, FFS?!) was startling. They were treated like dogs. Once deployed, the perimeter of our camp had a single Spanish guard (probably to keep an eye on us), and our cooks made sure to feed a decent meal to the lad on shift. They would only accept it if one of our lot made sure to take the empty plate back before the regular Spanish NCO in a vehicle turned up to check on them, because the punishment if they were caught with it wasn’t to be sniffed at.
Unless you’re the best player
Unless you’re the best player of computer games.
Did the Iranian actually use
Did the Iranian actually use the word “mum”?
pedalpowerDC wrote:Did the
Why? #o
The young mans country is
The young mans country is noted for crimes against its people. Would anyone want to be forced to kill, let alone one of it’s own citizens because of some crazy dictatorship and religious zealots.
As for national service in the UK! I think some members have been watching far to many ‘ Black and White movies’ it was really not how you imagine it to be.
Oppps, it seems my lack of
Oppps, it seems my lack of smiley faces in my post sparked a reaction from others things I had come up with what I thought was a serious idea.
I was taking the piss, sorry
Gkam84 wrote:… I was taking
Good of you to apologize. If you happen to have a chance, can you clear up a doubt back at the WC Road Race thread? Thanks…
Do all of the countries
Do all of the countries grumpy gits with no sense of humour gather on this forum?
NS would be much better spent on having a directed work force. Roadsides could be litter free, schools could have enough lollipop ladies, public facilities could be clean and maintained, old people could have helpers