Hadi Saei

Sports — 10 April 2011

Hadi Saei “Bonehkohal” (Persian: هادی ساعی بنه كُهل , born June 10, 1976 in Rey, Iran) is a former Iranian Taekwondo athlete who became the most successful Iranian athlete in Olympic history after winning gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics. He competed in the Men’s 68 kg (featherweight) at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal. In addition, he competed in the Men’s 80 kg at the 2008 Summer Olympics^[1] and won his second olympic gold. Earlier in his career and in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Saei had won the bronze medal.

Career

He has been practicing Tae Kwon Do since he was six years old. Having previously competed in Lightweight (67–72 kg), he is the 1999 World Champion and 2003 World Championship silver medallist. When Iranian town of Bam, Iran was devastated in the 2003 earthquake, Saei put his medals on auction to raise money for the victims.

He has been World Champion in the Tae Kwon Do World Championships two times. Currently, he is a senior at the Iran Physical Education University.

Saei officially ended his career as a Tae Kwon Do athlete on November 8, 2008 (18 Aban 1387).^[2]

2008 Olympics

In the first match against the Nepalese Deepak Bista his right hand was fractured during the fight however he did not indicate his injury throughout the entire competition despite enormous pain until he won the final against the Italian Mauro Sarmiento. Immediately after winning the Gold medal his hand was in plaster cast. Previously he wanted to say farewell after winning in the final, but his coach Reza Mehmandoust has advised him not to do it.