WT World Cup Team Championships:
Iran crushes Russia to secure mixed crown
Iran capped off the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships on a high by securing the mixed team title in Chuncheon, South Korea, thanks to an emphatic straight-round victory over Russia on Thursday.
Mohammad-Hossein Yazdani, Amirsina Bakhtiari, Hasti Mohammadi, Amirreza Sadeqian, Abbasali Keshi, Yalda Valinejad and Baran Nemati all featured for Iran, which had begun its campaign with a comeback victory over Morocco before defeating Thailand in successive rounds to book a place in the final.
Iran took control from the outset of the final and never relinquished its advantage. The opening round was closely contested early on, but the Iranians gradually established their superiority through disciplined performances and timely substitutions by coaching duo Mehrouz Saei and Payam Khanlarkhani.
Maintaining the initiative throughout the round, Iran secured a 75-60 victory to move within one round of the title.
The second round was even more one-sided as Iran raced into an early lead and gave Russia little opportunity to respond. Launching a series of relentless attacks while displaying clear technical superiority, the Iranian team widened the gap throughout the contest before cruising to a commanding 115-25 victory.
The triumph marked a second medal for the female members of the Iranian squad, who had claimed a bronze medal in the women’s event on the previous day of the competition in Chuncheon.
After opening with a victory over India, the Iranian women rebounded from a semifinal defeat to Russia by beating Thailand in straight rounds in the bronze-medal contest.
The opening day of the tournament, however, proved disappointing for Iran, as the men’s team suffered a shock first-round defeat to Thailand, missing out on a record-extending seventh title.
The three-day tournament will be followed by the Korea Open G1, which gets underway on Friday in Chuncheon.