26th WMC Taekwondo - Tehran (IRI) - Final Update
TEHRAN (IRI) - The second and third day of competition of the 26th World Military Taekwondo Championship took place in Tehran, capital of Iran, and, as on the first day of competition, the matches held all their promises, and the spectators could see some magnificent fights.
Four categories were on the program for the second day of competition: -68, -80, +87 and -57.
In the -68 category, the audience witnessed a very exciting final between Mohammad Mehdi Emad from Iran and the Russian world champion Vlacheslav Minin in which the Iranian defeated Minin to become the world military champion. Pakistani Wajid Ali and Kazakh Bexultan Mussakhan took the bronze medal in the category.
In the 80 kg category, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion Maxim Khramtsov (RUS) became the World Military Champion after his victory over Iranian Mohammad Hossein Yazdani. Mazhar Abbas (PAK) and Bekzhan Nusnalim (KAZ) shared the bronze medal.
In the category of +87 kg, the Iranian Ali Najafi, in a very difficult but spectacular and beautiful competition, lost to the Russian world and Olympic champion Vladislav Larin, and the Russian athlete won the gold medal.
Brazil won its first gold medal of the championship thanks to the title of Paulo Ricardo Souza de Melo in the -58kg category. The Brazilian, bronze medalist at the 2018 WMC in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), won his gold medal bout against Kazakh Nurbek Gazez while Haroon Khan (PAK) and Barbod Jabbari (IRI) took the bronze.
Finally, it is the host country, Iran, that wins the men's medal ranking with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, ahead of Russia (3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals), and Brazil (1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal).
The third and last day of competition was dedicated to women who competed in the Great Azadi Hall in the following 8 categories (-46, -49, -53,-57,-62,-67, 73 and +73).
In -49kg, the Iranian Masoumeh Ranjbar defeated Yumisha Rai and became the world military champion and was imitated a few minutes later by her compatriot Negar Esmaeili, winner of the Kazakh Nuray Bauyrzhaniva in the final of -49kg.
Russia won its only gold medal of the women's competition thanks to the title of Tatiana Minina against the Brazilian Leonor Dias de Lima Penna Saraiva. The Iranian Zahea Alizadeh and the Cameroonian Francine Bidzono took the bronze medal.
The Kazakh Mariya Sevotyanova was opposed to the Iranian Ayda Khorshidi in the final of the -57kg and, after an engaged fight, the Kazakh won the coveted world title. The bronze medal went to Elena Kriveichenko (RUS) and Marie-Madeleine Egagne (CMR).
Thanks to the performances of its female athletes, the Brazilian delegation could go home with two new gold medals. Indeed, Milena Titoneli Guimaraes was the strongest against Yasaman Mohammadi in -67kg as well as her compatriot Caroline Gomes Doesantos, victorious against the Iranian Niloufar Sadeghi (-62kg).
Iran also won the last two titles of the day with the victories of Sharbanoo Dameghani against the Brazilian Raiany Fidelis Pereira in -73kg and Zeinab Asadi against the Cameroonian Nathalie Mbirvi in +73kg.
Iran also wins the medals ranking of the women's competition in front of Brazil, Russia, and Kazakhstan!
The Closing Ceremony of the event took place in Tehran's Olympic Hotel in presence of Major General Mohammad Hassan Bagheri, the Training Deputy Chief of Iran Armed Forces General Staff ; Colonel Jose Carlos Garcia-Verdugo, Official CISM Representative and BoD Member; Major Nalinda Rathnayaka, PCSC Taekwondo; Mr. Ki Su Lee, World Taekwondo Representative; Major General Mohammad Hassan Bagheri, Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff; Brigadier-General Jamshid Fooladi, Chief of the Iranian Delegation to CISM; General Nouman Gholami, President of Iran Armed Forces Taekwondo Committee as well as many international and national high authorities.
Major General Mohammad Hassan Bagheri took the floor to close the event: “CISM aims to develop friendship and kindness between different nations through sports. Through this championship, the Iranian Armed Forces sent a message of peace and friendship !”
During this closing ceremony, the OCR Colonel Jose Carlos Garcia-Verdugo mentioned the Iran's Armed Forces important role in the CISM Community as an active nation committed to the peaceful ideals of CISM. He also highlighted the important work done by Iran to allow the athletes to compete in the most ideal conditions during this competition.
Thanks to Iran for the organization of this magnificent WMC Taekwondo which closes the CISM sports year and see you in 2023 for new competitions which are very exciting!
- Final Results: Male - Female
- Program of the event
(Source: CISM Media and Communication Department)
