Iran retains men’s team crown at Taekwondo World Cup
Iran defeated South Korea in its own backyard to win the men’s title at the WT World Cup Team Championships Series on Monday.
Stepping into the final showdown in Chuncheon on the back of a straight-round win (175-30, 140-80) over Côte d’Ivoire, the Iranian four-man team came out victorious against the taekwondo powerhouse in two rounds (175-115, 140-70) to lift the trophy – a fourth successive men’s title for the country in 12 series editions.
Mahdi Abedini, Mohammad-Hossein Yazdani, Ali Khoshravesh, and Abolfazl Zandi were the members of the Iranian team as Arian Salimi and Mehran Barkhordari skipped the tournament to continue preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games – starting July 26 in Paris.
The competition continues with the women’s event today, with the Iranian team – comprising Melika Mirhosseini, Yalda Valinejad, Mahla Mo’menzadeh, and Saghar Moradi – taking on defending champion South Korea for a place in the final.
India will face the winner of the battle between Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire for the other final berth.