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Hadi Saei

Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei in 43rd N.O.I.C General Assembly.jpg
Member of City Council of Tehran
Assumed office
3 September 2007
Personal details
Born Hadi Saei Bonehkohal
(1976-06-10) June 10, 1976 (age 40)
Rey, Iran
Political party Independent
Other political
affiliations
Reformists Coalition (2007)
Alma mater Islamic Azad University
Religion Islam
Sports career
Country  Iran
Sport Taekwondo

Hadi Saei (Persian: هادی ساعی‎‎, born June 10, 1976 in Rey) is an Iranian councilor and former 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 and won his second olympic gold. Earlier in his career and in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Saei had won the bronze medal. He was elected as member of City Council of Tehran in 2006 local elections and was reelected in 2013. He is one of the three most medal winners olympians in the sport of Taekwondo.

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 medalist. When the Iranian town of Bam 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).

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.


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