Asian Karate Championship:
Golshadnejad wins kumite gold as Iran finishes with seven medals
Iranian girl Atousa Golshadnejad won her third individual medal in as many years at the Asian Karate Championship, grabbing the gold in the kumite contests in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Sunday.
Having beaten opponents from India, China, and Japan en route to the final showpiece, Golshadnejad – Asian champion in 2023 – came out victorious against the host’s Sevinch Otaboyeva to walk away with the ultimate prize of the -61kg weight class.
This was a second medal in Tashkent for Golshadnejad, who was part of the Iranian bronze-winning kumite team.
The Iranian team suffered a last-four setback against Kazakhstan, but bounced back to defeat the Chinese Taipei 2-1 in the third-place bout, with Golshadnejad and Ma’soumeh Mohsenian victorious against their opponents.
Meanwhile, Fatemeh Sa’adati settled for a silver medal in the women’s -55kg event after a 5-0 loss to defending champion Hoang Thi My Tam of Vietnam – a second Asian medal for the Iranian girl following her bronze in 2023.
Sara Bahmanyar (-50kg) had won a first female kumite medal for Iran in the Uzbek capital, beating Chan Hsin-Yu of the Chinese Taipei 4-3 in the third-place bout to take her personal tally to three Asian bronzes since 2022.
The men’s event, meanwhile, was one to forget for Iran as the country could only manage to collect a couple of silver medals, plus a team kata bronze, across nine categories.
Morteza Ne’mati enjoyed an impressive run to reach the -75kg final, only to suffer a 5-3 loss to Kazakhstan’s Nurkanat Azhikanov and take the silver.
The Iranian kumite team – five-time Asian champion over the past eight years – also finished its campaign with a silver medal following a 3-2 defeat against Jordan.
Ne’mati and Esmaeil Mo’tamedi came out on top against their Jordanian opponents, but Mahdi A’ashouri, Saleh Abazari, and Mahmoud Ne’mati lost their bouts.
The Iranian trio of Abolfazl Shahrjerdi, Milad Farazmehr, and Ali Zand had won a joint bronze – alongside Hong Kong – in the team kata event thanks to a victory over Vietnam in the third-place playoff.
A haul of one gold, as well as three silver and bronze medals apiece, saw Iran finish fifth in the overall team standings.
Kazakhstan collected four golds, one silver, and five bronze medals to top the table, with Japan (three golds), Vietnam (three), and Jordan (two) in the following spots.
Meanwhile, the Iranian para karate squad claimed the team title in Tashkent, thanks to a remarkable seven medals – including double golds Ma’soumeh Iji and Farzad Safari.