CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct 4, 2024) - The Philippines through Tachiana Kezhia Mangin and Chinese Taipei through Chieh-ling Wang earned their first gold medals of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships on day four in Chuncheon, while Mehdi Razmian became the latest Iranian winner.
Mangin played out one of the most thrilling finals seen so far in the women’s -49kg weight division, sealing victory in the closing stages of a third-round decider against Korea’s Hyanggi Kim. Another Korean athlete was beaten in the last final of the day, as Wang overcame the challenge of Suin Shin.
In the men’s -48kg, Razmian delivered a dominant display against Spain’s Jairo Agenjo Trigos for Iran’s fifth gold of the Championships.
Today’s results mean eight different nations have now had junior world champions crowned in Chuncheon, as the event continues to showcase the global strength of Taekwondo.
Women’s -49kg
Mangin produced four head kicks in the first round for a 14-8 win which appeared to have her in control of the final against Kim. However, her opponent competing at her home World Taekwondo Junior Championships hit back in the second round, taking a 4-3 lead with around 15 seconds remaining and holding onto her advantage to force a decider. The final round produced a dramatic finale with a flurry of points for both athletes which had the spectators at the Songam Sports Town Air Dome on the edge of their seats. Ultimately, it was Mangin who edged it 7-6 to earn the Philippines’ first gold in Chuncheon.
In the semi-finals, Mangin had received a walkover because her Greek opponent Lamprini Anna Asimaki withdrew through injury. In contrast, Kim had to fight back from losing the first round to Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Aiuna Menkenova to seal her place in the final. Asimaki and Menkenova both took bronze medals.
Men’s -48kg
Iran extended their lead at the top of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships medal table through an accomplished performance from Razmian against Agenjo Trigos.
Razmian had required three rounds in three of his matches earlier in the day – against Thailand’s Sorachat Sawasri in the round of 64, Abdullah Essa A Almushraf of Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals and Kazakhstan’s Temirzhan Taskyn in the semi-finals.
However, there were no signs of tiredness with his display in the final. He controlled the first round well and won it 6-1 to take the lead in the match. The Iranian athlete was 15cm taller than Agenjo Trigos, and in the second round he made full advantage of that, triumphing 12-2.
Agenjo Trigos in contrast had not dropped a round on his way from the round of 64 to the final, including a second-round victory by technical superiority against Uzbekistan’s Bekhruz Salimov in the semi-finals.
Taskyn and Salimov won the bronze medals following their runs to the semi-finals.
Women’s -44kg
Wang was outstanding in all elements of her game in the final against Shin to take Chinese Taipei’s first gold of this year’s World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
In the first round, she successfully blocked and shut out her opponent, and a 6-0 victory had her halfway to the gold medal. The second round required even more resilience as Shin took a 6-2 lead, but Wang finished very strongly and prevailed 17-6 to ensure she stood on top of the podium.
Wang had to recover from losing the first round to Rüveyda Nur Evin of Türkiye in the semi-finals, as she had done against Iran’s Parnian Saki in the round of 64 earlier in the day. On the other side of the draw, Shin was impressive in her semi-final against China’s Siyong Li, who had to settle for bronze along with Evin.
Tomorrow marks the penultimate day of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, with competition taking place in the men’s -73kg and -78kg, and the women’s -42kg and -68kg.
