2026 Karate One-Youth League:
Iranians secure eight-medal haul in Fujairah
Iranian karatekas collected eight medals – including two golds – to cap a solid campaign at the Karate One-Youth League event in Fujairah, UAE.
Raha Babaei rounded off Iran’s medal haul on Sunday with a bronze in the under-14 kumite -47kg class.
Babaei bounced back from a narrow 3–2 defeat to eventual gold medalist Marharyta Koliada of Ukraine in the fifth round, defeating Saudi Arabia’s Slama Alrasheed 8-0 in the repechage to finish joint third alongside American Rianna Dukhande.
Hasti Soltani also claimed bronze in the junior women’s -59kg division, courtesy of an 8-2 victory over American Charlotte Singleton in the third-place bout.
Ghazal Fat’hi Cheshmeh and Abolfazl Arab Yaqoubi headlined Iran’s campaign in Fujairah by winning gold in their respective categories.
Fat’hi Cheshmeh secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Egypt’s Noor Abdelaziz in the junior women’s -48kg final on Friday, while Arab Yaqoubi defeated Spain’s Rodrigo Garcia de Blas 3–2 in the cadet boys’ -63kg final a day later.
Meanwhile, Arash Razani (junior boys’ -76kg), Arash Alhaki (junior boys’ individual kata), Mohsen Keikhaeikia (cadet boys’ -52kg), and Setayesh Qaneifard (cadet girls’ -54kg) added four bronze medals across four days of competition.
The next stop of the Karate One-Youth League will be held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from March 26 to 29.