Nemati edges Abazari to secure kumite berth for Asian Games
Iranian karateka Mahmoud Nemati secured the +84kg berth in the men’s national kumite roster for September’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games thanks to a victory over Saleh Abazari in the national team trials on Sunday.
Nemati emerged victorious 3-2 in a thrilling best-of-five series against the former world champion, who came from behind to level the contest with back-to-back wins before suffering a 7-3 loss in the decider.
Nemati will be a clear favorite to reach the top step of the podium at the multi-sport event, having claimed gold at the Asian Championships in Bali, Indonesia, last week courtesy of a 4-0 victory over Saudi defending champion Sanad Sufyani in the final.
Joining Nemati in the Iranian Asian Games squad will be his brother, Morteza Nemati, who will compete in the -75kg class.
Morteza Nemati will also head to September’s showpiece as the reigning Asian champion after defeating Nurkanat Azhikanov 3-2 in the final in Bali to make amends for last year’s title-match defeat to the Kazakhstani karateka.
Former world bronze medalist Ali-Asghar Asiabari completes the Iranian men’s kumite trio with a berth in the -84kg class.
Asiabari had to settle for a bronze medal at the Asian Championships and was also part of the Iranian team – alongside Morteza Nemati – that fell to Jordan in the final of the team kumite event.
Atousa Golshadnejad, meanwhile, will be the Iranian to watch in the women’s kumite competition.
Golshadnejad enjoyed a remarkable international season in 2025, winning the second Asian title of her career before claiming gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games and making history as the first Iranian female karateka to capture a kumite world title.
Golshadnejad, however, was unfortunate to miss out on defending her -61kg title in Bali following an injury setback in the national team trials.
Fatemeh-Zahra Saeidabadi will also fancy her chances of a podium finish at the Asian Games after featuring in the Iranian quartet that defeated Japan in the final to win the country’s first Asian women’s team kumite gold since 2019.
In the women’s kata event, the Iranian trio of Fatemeh Sadeqi, Sepideh Amini, and Zeinab Hosseini will compete on the back of the team’s Asian bronze medal, while Sadeqi, who also won individual bronze in Bali, will be part of the women’s individual draw.