Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games:
Golshadnejad lands host rival as Iranians discover karate fate
Reigning world champion Atousa Golshadnejad will begin her bid for gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a tricky test against Japanese karateka Tsubasa Kama in the women’s kumite -68kg weight class on Monday.
The Iranians learned their pathways in their respective karate events on Saturday, with Fatemeh-Zahra Saeidabadi drawn against Turvanhxai Pa of Laos in the women’s -55kg first round on Tuesday.
Six-time world bronze medalist Fatemeh Sadeqi will open Iran’s campaign in the women’s individual kata against Thailand’s Monsicha Sakulrattanatara on Sunday.
The Iranian trio of Sadeqi, Zeynab-Sadat Hosseini and Sepideh Amini will face Thailand in the opening round of the women’s team kata on Tuesday, which also features teams from Cambodia, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
In the men’s kumite, Morteza Nemati will face Kazakhstan’s Nurkanat Azikanov in the -75kg category on Tuesday, while Ali-Asghar Asiabari will take on Qatar’s Abdullah Babiker in the -84kg opening round.
Mahmoud Nemati will be Iran’s sole representative on Wednesday, facing Laos’ Vatthana Xayasan in the men’s +84kg class.
Iran will not have representatives in the men’s -55kg and -60kg kumite events as well as the women’s +68kg category.
The country will also be absent from the men’s individual kata, men’s -67kg and women’s -61kg kumite events on Monday.
The karate tournament will conclude on Wednesday.