As the World Archery award nominations for 2024 were rolled out in December, there were ultimately names that archery fans around the world would’ve expected to see in the nine categories.
Recurve men archers Kim Woojin and Brady Ellison were no surprises following stellar years, including the pair’s memorable Paris 2024 final, as was Great Britain’s Megan Havers who qualified for her maiden Olympics as a 16-year-old. And who could leave out Matt Stutzman, the para archery pioneer who won gold in his final Paralympics?
Fatemeh Hemmati, however, nominated in the para women’s category, was a name before 2024 few outside of her country Iran knew of, and her rawness to the international stage will mean some still may not but there is plenty of reason to be aware of this prospect.
She was born to shoot.
“My father was a former military serviceman, so firearms were frequently discussed,” explained the 21-year-old Hemmati, who won two silver medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics in the compound women’s individual and mixed team events. “I dedicated countless hours to training, even practicing in the frigid cold of my city.”
“My expectation was to become the best version of myself. My family and coach were incredibly supportive, and I’ve always maintained a winning mentality throughout my life.”
Hemmati’s achievements in Paris deserve such a prestigious nomination and recognition in the sport not least considering the Paralympics was just her third international event following an Asia Cup leg in Baghdad and a para archery world ranking event in Nove Mesto, all in 2024.
Les Invalides proved her hard work away from the world junior stage seems to have worked when it mattered.
She has been practicing archery since 2017, but the rewards she is reaping now is also down to a seismic ripple event that inspired many Iranian women and disabled people to pick up a bow.
