Williams returns to the top (Photo World Taekwondo)
Iran claimed two gold medals and Great Britain one on an electric opening day of the Paris 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix, with titles decided in the M -58kg, W +67kg and M +80kg at the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan.
Lauren Williams delivered a comeback to remember, battling back from injury to claim her first Grand Prix gold since 2018, this time in the W +67kg. Meanwhile, Abolfazl Zandi and Arian Salimi made it a golden evening for Iran in the M -58kg and M +80kg respectively.
M -58kg
The reigning M -58kg champion Abolfazl Zandi of Iran was back on top form in Paris to claim his maiden Grand Prix gold.
He went head to head in the final against the Olympic champion Tae Joon Park of Korea.
After a cagey first round which saw blows traded, Zandi got going quickly in the second to form a gap that Park could not close.
Enroute to the final, Zandi faced Spain’s Jesus Fraile Rodriguez who withdrew after the first round.
On the other side of the draw, Park Korea’s Tae Joon Park defeated Ja’afar Aldaoud of Jordan 2-0 in the semi-final, and also overcame compatriot and M -54kg world champion Eun Su Seo in the quarter-finals.
W +67kg
It was a long-awaited return to the top for Great Britain’s Lauren Williams, who claimed her first Grand Prix gold since 2018 and her first in the W +67kg category.
The Tokyo 2020 silver medallist had battled back from surgery after rupturing her hamstring at the Roma 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix.
Lei Xu of China struck first in the opening round of the final, but Williams quickly hit back to level at 4-4. The pair continued to trade scores before the Briton edged ahead to take it 10-6.
Williams carried that momentum into the second, building a commanding lead as the clock ticked down before sealing her long-awaited return to the top of the Grand Prix podium.
Williams was pushed hard in her semi-final which went to three rounds against Russia’s Anastasiia Kosmycheva, who had won bronze in Rome and silver in Muju.
In the other semi-final, Xu overcame Hungary’s two-time world champion Luana Márton to book her ticket to the final.
M +80kg
Iran’s Arian Salimi came from a round down to win a thrilling M +80kg final against Great Britain’s Caden Cunningham, repeating his victory over the Olympic silver medallist in the Paris 2024 final.
The pair traded scores in a fierce opening round before a head kick helped Cunningham take the lead for the first time at 8-6. Salimi kept chasing, but the Briton held firm to close out the round 14-9.
The reigning Olympic champion responded strongly in the second, taking it 13-9 to set up a decider. With gold on the line, Salimi prevailed 11-7 in the third to return to the top of the podium in Paris, following bronze in Muju.
Cunningham had come through a dramatic semi-final against Tunisia’s Motaz Ifaoui, who had earlier defeated Italy’s two-time world champion Simone Alessio.
In the other semi-final, Salimi overcame Egypt’s Seif Eissa, the reigning -87kg world champion, in a high-profile meeting, ending Eissa’s hopes of back-to-back Grand Prix titles after his maiden gold in Muju.
The Paris 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix continues tomorrow with competition in the W -57kg, W-67kg and M -68kg weight categories.
