TEHRAN - Rising Iranian taekwondo star Abolfazl Zandi captured the gold medal in the men’s under-58kg category at the World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi, China, ending a decade-long wait for Iran’s men’s team to return to the top of the podium.
On the sixth day of competition, Zandi faced Russia’s Georgy Gurtsev, the 2023 world silver medalist and Grand Slam runner-up, in the championship match. He took the first round 7–3 and the second 12–8 to seal a 2–0 victory.
The triumph not only gave Zandi his first world title but also secured Iran’s first men’s world gold in 10 years.
It was Iran’s second medal in Wuxi, following Mehdi Haji Mousaei’s silver in the 63kg division.
The World Taekwondo Championships conclude Thursday, with Iran’s Mobina Ne’matzadeh and Amir Sina Bakhtiari set to compete on the final day.