Zeinab (Sahar) Fard

Zeinab Fard, who asked everyone to call her Sahar, was born in Ordibehesht 1367 (spring 1988) in Varamin and lived and coached in Qarchak south of Tehran. A former women’s taekwondo champion of Tehran Province and national runner-up who had been invited to the national team camp, she later left the federation’s oppressive atmosphere and became a beloved pilates, TRX and fitness coach for women. Relatives told IranWire she loved white and colourful dresses, poetry and dance, and spent almost every hour in the gym; club managers and students called her a sister as much as a coach. She posted uncovered workout videos and filled her last Instagram stories with hope for freedom. On the evening of Thursday, 8 January 2026 (18 Dey 1404), as crowds moved near Kalantari Square in Qarchak after the nationwide internet blackout began, a sniper shot her in the temple with live ammunition. Witnesses said people froze in shock when she fell and were then fired on from rooftops. A relative said only a bloodied white sneaker came back to the family. Iran International Sport and IranianUK also memorialised the former taekwondo vice-champion. Some headlines say Islamshahr; the detailed IranWire account places the killing at Kalantari Square, Qarchak.