Iranian Cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad Dies During Crash at Paralympics Race in Rio
The Paralympics turned tragic on Saturday, when Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad passed away after suffering from cardiac arrest following an incident in a mountainous stretch of the course in Rio, BBC Sports reports.
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Golbarnezhad was rushed to a local hospital, but was unable to recover. He was 48.
"He had been cycling for 12 years and he was our best cyclist. He was married and has a wife and one son,” Masoud Ashrafi, the secretary general of Iran’s National Paralympics Committee, said in a statement to BBC. "He was the kind of man who was a family man. He loved his family."
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Golbarnezhad’s death marks the first Paralympics or summer Olympics fatality since the 1960 games. The circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated.
A moment of silence will be observed on Sunday at the games’ closing ceremonies.
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