2026 Karate One-Youth League:
Iranians win three cadet medals on Day 2
Iranian athletes claimed three cadet medals on the second day of the 2026 Karate One-Youth League event in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, highlighted by a gold medal performance from Abolfazl Arab Yaqoubi in the kumite competition.
Competing in the male -63kg category, Arab Yaqoubi edged Spain’s Rodrigo Garcia de Blas 3-2 in one of Saturday’s closest finals. With the lead changing hands during the bout, the Iranian secured victory with a decisive late attack to seal the title.
In the girls’ -54kg division, Setayesh Qaneifard rebounded from a narrow 1-0 defeat to Uzbekistan’s Sarvinoz Lapasova to earn a consolation bronze. She capped her campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating France’s Amina Delorme 9-0.
Iran’s second bronze in cadet kumite came in the -52kg class through Mohsen Keikhaeikia. After suffering a 4-0 loss to Kazakhstan’s Nurassyl Nurseiit in the second round, Keikhaeikia mounted a strong comeback in the repechage. He recorded wins over opponents from Greece, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, before sealing a 5-0 victory against Belgium’s Adam Ghazouani to secure third place.
Saturday’s success followed an impressive run for Iran in the junior ranks, where the team collected one gold and two bronze medals.
Ghazal Fat’hi Cheshmeh led the charge on Friday, capturing gold in the female kumite -48kg division with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Egypt’s Noor Abdelaziz in the final.
Arash Razani secured bronze after bouncing back from a third-round 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan’s Asilbek Kobilov. Razani advanced through the repechage with victories over opponents from Armenia and Türkiye, before defeating Italy’s Nicola Esposito 4-0 in the bronze-medal bout.
In the men’s individual kata, Arash Alhaki progressed with wins against competitors from Egypt, Italy, Hong Kong, Portugal and Saudi Arabia before falling 4-1 to Japan’s Takamasa Yatoji. He concluded his campaign with a 3-2 victory over Germany’s Haruaki Kuniyasu to clinch bronze.