Iranian karatekas runner-up in Asian Cadet, Junior Championships
A total of 12 medals, including four golds, saw Iran’s cadet and junior teams finish second to Japan at the Asian Championships in Manila, Philippines.
Japan dominated the medal table with a remarkable 14 gold medals, as well as one silver and six bronzes, while Kazakhstan collected double golds, five silvers, and four bronze medals to finish third.
Iranian girls took credit for three of the country’s four golds in the kumite competitions, as Parmis Alipour (cadet -47kg), Saghar Jandaghi (cadet -61kg), and Mahla Sedaghat (junior +66kg) walked away with the ultimate prize in their respective events.
Amir-Ali Taymouri was the sole Iranian male gold medalist in Manila, thanks to an 8-0 triumph over Jordanian Ahmed Alsauod in the cadet -63kg final.
Meanwhile, male junior participants Abolfazl Hamdamjoo (-61kg) and Vahab Shahmir (-76kg) added two kumite silvers to Iran’s medal haul, with Elina Safajoo settling for a runner-up finish in the girls’ junior -59kg contests after a final defeat against Nao Inada of Japan.
Maryam Gorzin (female +61kg) and Mohammad Abdollahi (male -52kg) took a couple bronzes in the cadet competitions, with Abolfazl Sadeghiseresht (kata male), and Ghazal Fat’hi Cheshmeh (female -48kg) also finishing on the third podium in the junior events.
A second kata bronze for Iran came in the boys’ cadet and junior team contest, where the trio of Sina Nouri, Amirreza Mosalman, and Armin Javani recovered from a last-four defeat against Saudi Arabia to beat Hong Kong 39.3-37.3 and share the third podium with Vietnam.