Karate 1 Youth League:
Iranians grab nine U21 medals in Fujairah
Iranians collected nine kumite medals – including triple golds – in the under-21 age group at the first series of the Karate 1 Youth League in Fujairah, UAE, on Thursday.
Abolfazl Hamdamjou came out on top against Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Al-Qahtani in the final to walk away with the ultimate prize of the men’s -60kg contests.
Hamdamjou’s fellow-Iranians Mohammad Shirsefat and Sepehr Arabi joined him on the podium after winning the joint-bronze medals of the podium.
In the women’s draw, Fatemeh Yousefi won the -55kg gold, thanks to a final victory over Polina Lavrova – participating as a neutral athlete – while Hannaneh Salehi also finished her +68kg campaign on a high, defeating Arika Gurung of Nepal in the final showdown.
Elsewhere, Paria Alizadeh had to settle for a silver medal in the women’s -61kg event, following a final setback against Altana Basangova – also a neutral participant – with Iran’s Mehrnegar Ahmadi and Belgian Amel Bougrine taking the bronze medals.
There were further bronze medals for the country in the men’s competitions, with Mohammad-Javad Safari and Siavash Dehqani sharing the third podium in the -75kg class.
The inaugural Karate 1 Youth League will continue with junior and cadet competitions until Sunday, with the event returning with the second series in the Spanish city of Guadalajara on April 3.