TEHARN - Iranian karate practitioners have won one gold and three silver medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, including the Iranian delegation’s first gold of the Games.
Morteza Nemati claimed the gold in the men’s under-75kg kumite, while Ali Asghar Asiabari and Fatemehzahra Saeidabadi took silver in their respective kumite divisions. Iran’s women’s team kata also finished runner-up to complete the country’s four-medal haul in karate.
The karate competition is being held at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, one of the venues designated for the Games.
Nemati delivered Iran’s first gold medal of the Asian Games in the men’s under-75kg kumite.
The Iranian received a first-round bye before defeating Kazakhstan’s Nurkanat Azhikanov 8-0 and the Philippines’ Alwyn Baitkhan 8-2 to reach the final. He then overcame Turkmenistan’s Davut Nazarmuradov 4-3 in the gold-medal bout to secure the title.
Nemati entered the Games as the reigning Asian champion in the weight class. He won the men’s under-75kg title at the 2026 Asian Senior Championships in Bali, where Azhikanov took silver.
Iran’s second silver came from the women’s team kata, with Fatemeh Sadeghi, Sepideh Amini and Zeynab Hosseini advancing to the final.
The Iranian trio opened their campaign with a 5-0 victory over Thailand in the quarterfinals and repeated the score against the Philippines in the semifinals to book their place in the gold-medal contest.
In the final, Iran faced Vietnam and missed out on gold, taking silver. The silver came as the team made its first appearance at the Asian Games.
Asiabari added Iran’s third silver medal in the men’s under-84kg kumite.
The Iranian captain began his knockout campaign with a 4-1 victory over Qatar’s Abdulla Babikr in the quarterfinals. He then reached the final after defeating Palestine’s Abdallah Alkhatib in the semifinal, with the bout ending in disqualification after the Palestinian accumulated five penalties.
Asiabari faced Jordan’s Mohammad Al-Ja’fari in the final and was beaten 9-1. Al-Ja’fari, world number one and the reigning Asian champion in the division, therefore took gold, while Asiabari settled for silver.
Saeidabadi completed Iran’s four-medal haul with silver in the women’s under-55kg kumite.
She opened her campaign with an 8-0 victory over Thailand’s Pa Torvanhxai before beating Singapore’s Hafezan Marissa 9-1 in the quarterfinals.
Saeidabadi then produced another dominant performance in the semifinal, defeating Indonesia’s Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani 8-0 to reach the final and secure at least a silver medal.
In the final, Saeidabadi faced Malaysia’s Adeola Fay Robert and lost 6-4, earning the silver medal.
Saeidabadi’s podium finish adds to her record at the Asian level. She won the women’s under-55kg title at the 2026 Karate1 Series A event in Tbilisi earlier this year.
Karate medals have boosted Iran’s position in the medal table with the delegation now sitting 10th.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games are being held from September 19 to October 4 across venues in Japan, with around 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports.
Iran’s delegation, named “Minab Angels”—a tribute to the victims of the US-Israeli attack on Shajareh Tayyebe Elementary School in Minab on February 28—is competing at the Games with 305 athletes across 38 sports.