A minute’s silence was also held for the Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died on Saturday after crashing in the road race.
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Rio said farewell to the Paralympics Sunday in a closing ceremony showcasing Brazil’s love for music and celebrating what many consider to have been a surprisingly successful Games. The Australian Paralympic Team won 22 gold, 30 silver and 29 bronze medals after fielding a team of 177 athletes in Rio de Janeiro.
“It is hard for us to announce this sad news but, with enormous regret, we have to say Sarafraz Bahman Golbarnezhad, Iranian cycling champion, has died after an accident while racing in competition in the 2016 Paralympics”, read the statement.
Philip Craven, the International Paralympic Committee president, called the tragedy “truly heart-breaking”.
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Masoud Ashrafi, the secretary general of Iran’s National Paralympic Committee, said after the match that they going to “present this gold medal to the soul of Bahman Golbarnezhad” in an interview with the Press Association. Part of that success, however, was due to many tickets being sold for as little as three dollars – or given to school children in an global fill the seats campaign.
The first four runners in the race, with Baka’s twin brother coming fourth, actually ran faster than the gold medal victor Matthew Centrowitz in the Olympics a month before.
Bahman Golbarnezhad crashed on the downhill slope of the C4-5 classification road race. “Obviously it’s devastating that a crash ruled him out of his final race at a Games, but undoubtedly he will be forever remembered for his four gold medals in London in 2012”, she said.
The women’s T12 race, for athletes with visual impairments, was won by Spain’s Elena Congost, who improved upon her silver from London 2012 to clinch her first gold medal.
The Paralympic flag has also been lowered in the Paralympic Village and at Rio Centro, the venue where Iran will contest the sitting volleyball final against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday.
British Paralympic Association chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said the GB team’s performance in Rio was no fluke, but the figures still make very impressive reading. “Our hearts and prayers are with Bahman’s family, his teammates and all the people of Iran”, he said.
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A moment of silent respect will also be observed during the closing ceremony that will take place tonight. He was married and has a wife and one son. “Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues from NPC Iran”.
