World Para Taekwondo Open Challenge:
Iranians finish with five medals in Chuncheon
Iran claimed five medals, including one gold, across the men's and women's competitions at the Chuncheon 2026 World Para Taekwondo Open Challenge in South Korea.
Two-time Asian silver medalist Amirmohammad Haqiqatshenas led Iran's medal haul, claiming gold in the men's K44 -70kg division after Uzbekistan's Kudratulla Sunnatov withdrew from the final.
Meanwhile, 2024 Paralympic silver medalist Alireza Bakht had to settle for silver in the men's K44 -80kg category after losing to South Korea's Jeong Hun Joo, a two-time Paralympic bronze medalist, in the final.
Iran's third men's medal came in the +80kg division, where Hamed Haqshenas claimed bronze after falling to an Uzbek opponent in the semifinals.
Abolfazl Imani, Mohammadtaha Hassanpour, Mahdi Pour-Rahnama, and Saeid Sadeqian were the other members of the Iranian men's squad, all missing out on podium finishes in their respective weight classes.
Iran added two more medals in the women's competition, with Maryam Abdollahpour and Marziyeh Nasrollahi each taking bronze.
The event brought together 165 athletes from 36 countries, as well as the Refugee Team and World Taekwondo (Costa Rica), and featured 21 Paralympic medalists from the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games over two days of competition.
Taekwondo action in Chuncheon will continue with the one-day Demonstration and Breaking Championships on Monday, followed by the World Cup Team Championships, which get underway the following day.