TEHRAN – Sina Mohtarami of Iran has won the first gold medal of day three of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
The men’s -55kg was the first of this year’s Championships which went to three rounds, and it was a captivating contest as both athletes were fully committed and scored highly.
After a close start to the first round, Mohtarami pulled clear of his opponent to ultimately take it 18-7. However, Kazakhstan’s Nurali Makhmut showed great resilience in the second, and a late body kick to make it 11-9 was enough to force a decider.
The final round swung both ways, but it was Mohtarami who prevailed 14-12.
Haoran Tang of China and AIN’s Azat Besaev won two bronzes.
In the women’s -63kg final, Tunisia’s Masghouni Wafa produced an accomplished display to win a gold after defeating Saghar Moradi from Iran in the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
Wafa delivered a masterful gameplan in the final to overcome Moradi, who had scored highly in her semi-final victory against China’s Chengyi Wang.
The Tunisian took a 3-0 lead in the opening minute of the first round, then largely shut out the threat of her opponent, conceding two Gam-Jeom in the closing stages to play out a 3-2 win.
The second round featured a similarly disciplined display by Wafa, and it ensured a 7-3 victory and joyous celebrations as she claimed Tunisia’s first gold medal in Chuncheon, South Korea.
Lin from Chinese Taipei joined Wang in taking a bronze medal from the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.