Iran's flag bearer at the opening ceremony was an athlete who became an archer after she was paralyzed in a car accident

Advertisement

Iran had one of the best moments of the Rio Olympics opening ceremony.

Advertisement

During the parade of nations, Iran used archer Zahra Nemati as their flag bearer. Nemati is a Paralympic athlete in a wheelchair who qualified in archery for Rio.

According to Melissa Block of NPR, Nemati took up archery after she was paralyzed in a car accident in 2008. She used to compete in taekwondo prior to the accident, and won gold in archery at London 2012 in the paralympic games.

Eight years, later she was leading Iran's delegation at the opening ceremony.

Advertisement

zahra nemati

Jamie Squire/Getty

The sports world loved the moment.

Stories like Nemati's are what make the Olympics so rich, and Rio 2016 is off to an excellent start.

Advertisement