Iran confirms kumite lineup for Asian Karate Championships
Iran confirmed the men’s and women’s teams for the AKF Senior Championships – starting September 19 in Hangzhou, China.
The national kumite team trials took place in Tehran on Wednesday and Thursday as 11 karatekas (six men and five women) were given a shot at continental glory after coming out on top in their respective weight classes.
Iran is keen to improve on the third place in last year’s event in Malacca, Malaysia, where a haul of 12 medals – including three golds – saw the country finish behind Kazakhstan and Japan.
Behnam Dehqanzadeh will take part in the men’s -55kg contests as the defending champion, while Pouria Aqdasi will be looking to add to two Asian bronzes in the -60kg class.
A four-time world team and individual champion, Bahman Askari will aim to grab a fifth Asian gold and make up for last year’s final setback in the -75kg event.
Mahdi Khodabakhshi will be the Iranian representative in the -84kg class, with Saleh Abazari going after a second +84kg gold after his 2018 triumph.
Meanwhile, Atousa Golshadnejad will headline the Iranian women’s squad as the reigning Asian -61kg champion.
She will be joined by Sara Bahmanyar, who will be eager for a more colorful medal in the -50kg competitions, having settled for back-to-back bronzes in the previous two editions.
Two-time gold medalist, Taravat Khaksar will chase a fifth Asian medal on his return to the national team when participating in the -55kg bouts.
The 2021 silver medalist Mobina Heidari and Leila Borj-Ali, who were part of the Iranian silver-winning kumite team in Malacca, will represent the country in the -68kg and +68kg weight classes respectively.
This year’s Asian Championships will serve as crucial qualifier for November’s Karate World Cup in Pamplona, Spain.