TEHRAN – Benyamin Soltanian, Iran’s representative in the +73 kg taekwondo category, won the gold medal at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games after defeating his opponents and beating Spain’s representative in the final.
 After receiving a bye in the first round, Soltanian defeated Andrey Vladimirov of Bulgaria in his opening bout to advance to the semifinals. He then overcame South Korea’s Jeon Won-jang to secure his place in the final.
In the final bout, the Iranian athlete defeated Ivan Lisenko Serrano of Spain to claim the gold medal.
Following his victory, Soltanian said that his mother had asked him before the competition to step onto the mat in memory of martyr Makan Nasiri.
The medal marked the first gold for Iran’s delegation at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.
Earlier, Asal Goltape, another Iranian taekwondo representative competing in the -63 kg category, had reached the final after defeating opponents from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Senegal. She eventually lost to Germany’s representative in the final and secured the silver medal.
With these results, Iran’s taekwondo team concluded its campaign at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games with one gold medal won by Benyamin Soltanian and one silver medal claimed by Asal Goltape.