BHUBANESHWAR: The strapping Iranian discus thrower Ehsan Haddadi's resume can make for an interesting read.
The 32-year-old has an Olympic silver, three consecutive Asian Games gold and five Asian Championship medals in his cabinet. By winning gold here, he has already made his intentions clear before next month's World Championship.
The burly athlete, whose arms resemble tree trunks due to their enormous size, however, has not found much comfort coming his way despite having such an illustrious career. The Tehran-born athlete had to sell two Peugeot cars gifted to him by well-wishers, after he won the country's first athletics medal at the 2012 London Olympics, to sustain his training.
Disappointed at having to forgo expensive memorabilia, Haddadi blamed Iranian officials of the time for not paying enough attention to him despite being a history-maker for a country which had till then excelled only in wrestling, taekwondo and weightlifting. But government support is not enough to pay the bills for an elite athlete like Haddadi, who requires $5000-6000 per month to sustain his training routine and diet programme.
With the West easing sanctions on Iran after the nuclear agreement and moderates gaining in power, financial conditions in the country have improved. But Haddadi is not going over the top. For, he is the monk who sold his Peugeot!