Tunis Junior African Cup:
Banaeian claims gold as Iran bags two medals on Day 1
Iranian judokas secured two medals – including a gold in the men’s +100kg division – on the opening day of the Tunis Junior African Cup in Tunis on Friday.
Mohammadpouria Banaeian clinched the superheavyweight title with a victory over Egypt’s Abdalla Abdalla in the final.
The Iranian began his campaign with a win against Serbia’s Petar Novakovic, before defeating home favorite Adem Kouki in the semifinals to book his place in the gold-medal bout.
Compatriot Ali Nikseresht had to settle for silver in the men’s -100kg category after falling to Belarus’ Yauheni Morau in the final.
After receiving a first-round bye, Nikseresht opened his campaign with a victory over Tunisia’s Adem Landolsi to top Pool A and advance to the semifinals, where he overcame American Caedmon Haddad.
The silver medal marked a significant improvement for Nikseresht compared to his outing at last month’s African Open Casablanca, where he exited in the second round of the pool stage.
Banaeian and Nikseresht will have another opportunity to add to their medal haul when they compete in the senior event later in Tunis. They will be joined by Elyas Parhizgar and Amirabbas Choopan, while Sobhan Hakimi is set to feature in the cadet competition.
The one-day junior event brought together 125 competitors from 19 countries across various men’s and women’s weight divisions.