CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct 3, 2024) - The World Taekwondo Junior Championships reached its halfway stage today in Chuncheon, Korea, where Masghouni Wafa earned Tunisia’s first gold medal and Aristeidis Nikolaos Psarros did likewise for Greece, and Sina Mohtarami clinched Iran’s fourth triumph.
Mohtarami won the first gold medal of day three, edging a high-scoring men’s -55kg final which went to three rounds against Kazakhstan’s Nurali Makhmut.
In the women’s -63kg, Wafa produced an accomplished display in the final to prevent Saghar Moradi Sheikhlar from making it an Iranian double, and the impressive Psarros rounded off the evening with an outstanding performance against Moldova’s Artiom Rosca in the men’s -51kg.
Men’s -55kg
The men’s -55kg was the first of this year’s World Taekwondo Junior 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, 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.
Mohtarami had earlier delivered one of the performances of the day in the semi-finals, winning both rounds by technical superiority against Haoran Tang of China. Makhmut was also dominant against Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Azat Besaev, with the two beaten semi-finalists earning bronze medals.
Women’s -63kg
Wafa delivered a masterful gameplan in the final to overcome Moradi Sheikhlar, 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.
She had earlier beaten Hsin-tung Lin in the semi-finals by the same scorelines in both rounds. Lin from Chinese Taipei joined Wang in taking a bronze medal from the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
Men’s -51kg
The last final of the day featured a typically powerful performance from Psarros, the type of which he had produced throughout the competition. He dominated the first round against Rosca, winning it 12-6.
The second round was Psarros at his best, as he racked up 12 points without reply to earn a victory by technical superiority after just one minute.
The Greek athlete had been involved in a thrilling semi-final against Amirmohammad Nasirahmadi of Iran, winning the two rounds 15-13 and 23-17. On the other side of the draw, Rosca took the first round against India’s Shukla Ayush by technical superiority, but his opponent hit back to win the second 15-14. That forced a decider which Rosca was able to edge 10-9, with Ayush joining Nasirahmadi as a bronze medallist.
Day four of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships will feature competition in the women’s -44kg and -49kg and the men’s -48kg categories.
