Iranian male and female wushu practitioners have produced praiseworthy displays of physical and mental skills in the first edition of Taolu World Cup in China, and been awarded two bronze medals.
On Saturday, Farshad Arabi won 9.57 points to grab the bronze in the Nandao form of Taolu competitions in the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou.
A representative from China pocketed the gold medal with 9.67 points, while a Taiwanese contestant collected the silver.
Nandao is a kind of sword that is used mostly in contemporary Chinese wushu exercises and forms.
Nandao is mostly used with two hands due to its larger amount of weight as compared to the "northern broadsword," or Beidao. It also has a large metal cross guard useful in deflecting blows and hooking the opponent's weapon.
Later in the day, Zahra Kiani notched up 9.49 points to claim the bronze medal in the Jianshu form of Taolu competitions. Jianshu is a form of Taolu, where the participant uses a sword as the main element of the routine.
Kiani followed opponents from Macau and Vietnam in the first and second places respectively.
The first edition of Taolu World Cup started in Fuzhou, China, on November 15 and will finish on November 20, 2016.