Iran's Mobina Nematzadeh defeat Türkiye's Sila Irmak Uzuncavdar in the women's -53kg
Iran continued its impressive medal haul at the Nairobi 2025 World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships, claiming two more golds on the third day of competition at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Mobina Nematzadeh led Iran’s charge in the women’s -53kg category, defeating Türkiye’s Sila Irmak Uzuncavdar in the final. Nematzadeh, who won gold at the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, returned to championship-winning form in Kenya.
Uzuncavdar’s silver medal follows her sister Sude Yaren’s gold medal triumph in the women’s -73kg yesterday. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ada Avdagic and Greece’s Magdalini Klakala secured the bronze medals.
Iran’s second gold came in the men’s -74kg division, where Radin Zeinali overcame Türkiye’s Omer Furkan Korpe in the final, bringing Iran’s total medal count to six. The United States’ Victor Rodrigues and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Benjamin Husic both stepped onto the podium with bronze medals.
Egypt’s Moataz Bellah Asem claimed gold in the highly competitive men’s -54kg category with victory over India’s Ankit Mer in the final. Mer delivered an exceptional tournament performance, notably defeating the Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Championships gold medallist and MVP Eun Su Seo of Korea enroute to the final, showcasing the depth of talent at this inaugural World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships. Jordan’s Ja’afar Aldaoud and Bulgaria’s Hristiyan Georgiev claimed the bronze medals.
The women’s -67kg division saw Korea’s Min Ju Kwak, fresh from her gold medal triumph at the Bangkok 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge, continue her winning streak with victory over Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Valeriia Skaprovska in the final. Greece’s Styliani Marentaki and Montenegro’s Andrea Berisaj, who won bronze at the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, secured the bronze medals.
The inaugural World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships concludes today with the final day of competition featuring the women’s -46kg and -67kg categories, and the men’s -68kg and -87kg divisions.
