A Promise That Turned to Gold

Before heading to Vietnam to compete with the world's best and bring glory to Iran, their hearts had stayed behind in Mashhad, at the Imam Reza Teahouse.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, Jam Jam newspaper wrote: Before they went to Vietnam and made Iran proud in the competition with the best in the world, their hearts were left in Mashhad. In Imam Reza (a.s.) tea house. Where they wished for a servant and had promised to return with their gold medals if the Prophet accepted. Now they have five gold medals in their hands and their story is a love story that started from childhood. He went through books and classes and reached the world championship in the days when war conditions, restrictions and even the sound of rocket launchers had become a part of their lives.

Sarina Alampour, Mohammad Hossein Hosseini, Hirbad Fodazi, Hossein Masoumi and Arshia Mirshamsi-Kakhki are the members of the National Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad team of Iran; The elites who won the gold medal in the 19th World Olympiad of this field in Vietnam, so that Iran became the world champion for the third year in a row. Of course, the honor of this period is not only limited to five gold medals of the Iranian team. Winning several top individual titles along with the team champion has made this period one of the most prominent appearances of Iran in the World Olympiads. According to the information provided about the results of this period, such a set of honors in one period has been unprecedented for Iran; A success that goes beyond the number of medals. In the meantime, we have sat down to speak with three of the medal winners.

The path to the championship despite the limitations

Hirbad Fodazi, one of Iran's five gold medalists in the 2026 World Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, began his interest in the sky and the world of stars from elementary school. An interest that now, at the age of 18, has been accompanied by winning a gold medal in one of the most prestigious scientific competitions for students in the world. His achievement in this period was not limited to winning a gold medal. He won the cup for the best performance in the theory test and the cup for the absolute winner of the Olympiad. He is a student of Salam school in Tehran and plans to study electrical engineering at Sharif University of Technology this year. In an interview with JamJam, Fodazi said about the beginning of his interest in astronomy: "I became interested in astronomy since I was in elementary school. "My mother used to buy me books about astronomy, and these books provided the basis for me to get to know more about this field."

The road to the World Olympiad, in addition to interest and study, required months of preparation and practice. Hirbad says about this course: "After the selection of the team members, preparation camps were held for several months. In these camps, we participated in training classes, solved various tests and after checking them, we solved our problems. The observation programs and activities related to the planetarium (observatory) were also part of this period. Of course, the team's preparation process during this period was not without restrictions. According to Hirbad, some of the programs were virtual and war conditions made it impossible to carry out some activities. Regarding the level of this year's world competitions, he also believes that the participants came to the competitions with high preparation. "The level of competition was relatively high," he says. Along with traditional rivals such as England and India, teams from South Korea, China and Vietnam also appeared strong.

Hossein Masoumi, another gold medalist of this team, completed his studies at Tehran Atomic Energy High School. In addition to the world gold medal, he also won the cup for the best performance in the practical section; The title was given to him based on the total scores of data analysis and observation. Masoumi's interest in astronomy goes back to his childhood years; An interest that became more serious with the passage of time and from the beginning of the 10th grade, he pursued it in a more professional way in the Astronomy Olympiad, and this year he is going to continue his studies in the field of electrical engineering at Sharif University of Technology. For Hossein, entering the Astronomy Olympiad world was not just a continuation of an old interest; It was an opportunity for him to learn more about this field and test his abilities in a scientific and specialized way. He says about how his interest in Jam Jam became serious: "At Atomic Energy Schools, there is a course called Introduction to Olympiad.

In the introduction we had for Astronomy Olympiad, I realized that I am interested in this field both because of the structure and space. "After that meeting, my interest increased and I realized that something I loved since childhood is still interesting and important to me." The path to the World Olympiad required intensive and continuous preparation. About four months before the start of the world competition, the preparation program of the team members was continuously followed; A course that included review classes, training on specialized topics, and observation programs. During this time, the team members were trying to strengthen their knowledge and skills to compete with the best students in the world.

However, the war conditions did not affect the team's preparation process. Hossein mentions a period when even the holding of classes was affected by the tense atmosphere of those days. He says about this: "These conditions definitely affected our concentration and continuity of work, but we tried to minimize its effect as much as possible. I remember during the war, even when some classes were being held, the sound of rocket launchers could be heard, and this naturally disturbed everyone's concentration." Masoumi evaluates the level of international competitions as high and says that the present teams came to the field with all their strength. At the same time, he considers Iran to be one of the regular contenders of these competitions.

Arshiya Mirshamsi, one of the other gold medalists of the National Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad of Iran, started her journey from childhood curiosity about the sky; From reading astronomical encyclopedias and following magazines in this field to learning about physics and choosing the path that finally led him to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. Of course, along with this medal, he also took the third place in the whole competition. Like the other two medal winners, he is going to study electrical engineering at Sharif University of Technology. For him, the interest in astronomy was not the result of a sudden event but the result of years of study and gradual acquaintance with the world of science.

Mirshamsi explains about the formation of this interest in Jam Jam that since the early years of his life, astronomy has been one of the subjects of his interest. Studying astronomical encyclopedias and following the contents and news of this field in magazines deepened his interest over time. Upon entering secondary school, he became more familiar with physics, and this experience made the scientific path ahead of him clearer. Finally, his interest in astronomy, along with his attraction to physics, led him to choose the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. From Arshaya's point of view, interest is not the only starting point of this path, but it is a factor that can make it possible to continue it in the face of difficulties. He believes that choosing a field and scientific path can become a valuable experience when it is formed based on personal interest, not just influenced by expectations and external factors.

This world gold medalist says about this: "Unfortunately, one of the common problems, especially in our country, is that decisions are sometimes not made based on personal motivation and desire, and many external factors influence the choices, while if you follow the path of the Olympiad with a deep interest in your desired field, this path can become easier and more enjoyable. Of course, being interested in a field does not mean that there is no difficulty. Even those who love their field face many challenges along the way, but passion can make it easier to bear these difficulties and make learning a sweet and lasting experience."

According to him, in addition to these cases, full access to scientific sources in terms of filtering can take us one step forward in our scientific path. But Arshaya's speech is not only about interest and perseverance and full access to scientific resources. Mirshamsi, who is from Mashhad, also points to one of the important challenges for students interested in the Olympiad, which is the difference in access to educational facilities and study resources in big and small cities. According to him, the concentration of part of the Olympiad's classes, resources and competitive atmosphere in big cities, especially Tehran, can make the path more difficult for students who live in other cities.

However, this difference should not mean abandoning the dream of participating in the Olympiad. Mirshamsi advises this group of students: "I myself am from Mashhad and I want to talk specifically with students who live in smaller cities or do not live in Tehran. It is true that competition in the Olympiad space can be more difficult due to the wider facilities of big cities, but on the other hand, devoting time to studying the Olympiad comes with risks; Including the fact that the student may stay away from the entrance exam and final exams. However, these issues should not make students from smaller cities completely abandon this path.