Star-studded cast as Iran confirms taekwondo quartet for Asian Games
Iran will be among the leading favorites in the men’s taekwondo competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after confirming a formidable four-man roster for September’s multi-sport event in Japan.
Hadi Saei, chairman of the Iranian Taekwondo Federation, said last week that the country would target “not just one, but multiple taekwondo golds” at the upcoming showpiece. The most decorated Iranian Olympian has every reason to set the bar high, with the men’s squad heading into the Asian Games on the back of a string of medal-laden campaigns on the international stage over the past two years.
Amir-Sina Bakhtiari was the last Iranian to secure his place in the team after winning a fiercely contested -80kg selection trial last week, defeating Asian bronze medalist Amirreza Sadeqian, Mohammad-Hossein Yazdani and, most notably, Olympic silver medalist Mehran Barkhordari in Tehran.
Bakhtiari will be looking to cap his impressive run of recent results by ending Iran’s Asian Games gold drought. The 22-year-old claimed bronze at last October’s World Championships before capturing the Asian -74kg title in May. Iran last won taekwondo gold at Jakarta 2018, where Mirhashem Hosseini and Saeid Rajabi topped the podium in their respective men’s weight classes.
Joining Bakhtiari in the Iranian squad is Abolfazl Zandi, who will be the man to beat in the -58kg division after dominating the category at three major events in the space of seven months.
The former world junior champion stormed into the World Championships final without conceding a single round before defeating Belarusian Georgii Gurtsiev in straight rounds to claim the title.
The young Iranian was once again in a league of his own at last December’s Under-21 World Championships in Nairobi, earning the tournament’s men’s MVP award after completing a clean sweep of five straight-round victories. Zandi amassed 131 points while conceding just 23, capping his campaign with a victory over Russian neutral athlete Magomedg Magomedov in the final.
His third major gold in seven months came at the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, where he defeated former world cadet champion Yang Hui-chan of South Korea in straight rounds in the final.
Another reigning continental champion heading to the Asian Games is Mahdi Hajimousaei, who will target the top step of the podium in the -68kg category.
The 2025 world silver medalist defeated former Olympic bronze medalist and 2019 world champion Jang Jun of South Korea in straight rounds to add the Asian -63kg crown to the -58kg title he won in 2024.
Arian Salimi will be Iran’s biggest medal hope in the +80kg division, arriving as the reigning Olympic and Asian champion.
After suffering a shock last-16 exit at the World Championships, Salimi returned to his ruthless best in Ulaanbaatar, reaching the final without dropping a round in three bouts, including a semifinal victory over familiar rival and 2025 world champion Kang Sang-hyun of South Korea.
The 22-year-old got off to a slow start in the final against Uzbekistan’s Marat Mavlonov, losing the opening round 7-7 on criteria before responding with a 6-3 win in the second.
Mavlonov looked set to claim the title after taking a 10-9 lead with three seconds remaining in the deciding round, but Salimi had other ideas. The Olympic champion unleashed a trademark three-point head kick in the final second to seal back-to-back Asian +87kg titles and will now look to go one better than the silver medal he won at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.