All the award winners (Photo World Taekwondo)
Brazilian Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes and Belgium’s Sarah Chaâri were named as the male and female Athletes of the Year at the World Taekwondo 2025 Gala Awards, held in Fujairah, UAE.
Fernandes had an an exceptional season that included a memorable -80kg category gold medal at the Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Championships. He was the first Brazilian male world champion.
He also triumphed at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge events in Bangkok and Muju Taekwondowon, and won a bronze medal at the first-ever World Taekwondo Under 21 Championships in Nairobi.
Chaâri was crowned Female Athlete of the Year after another standout year on the international stage. Her results included middleweight gold at the Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Championships along with silvers at the Bangkok 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge and the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, further cementing her status among the sport’s elite.
The world’s leading athletes in Para Taekwondo were also recognised during the evening.
Ayoub Adouich of Morocco received the Para Taekwondo Male Athlete of the Year award after securing gold at the 2025 Open Challenge.
China’s Yujie Li was named Para Taekwondo Female Athlete of the Year, following an outstanding season that saw her claim gold medals at the President’s Cup Asia and the Asian Championships.
In recognition of their contribution to the sport, Ivan Penava of Croatia was named Male Referee of the Year, while Ji Hyun Yeom of Korea received the Female Referee of the Year award.
The Coach of the Year honour went to Hechmi Jendoubi of Tunisia, who helped his athletes to win the country’s first two gold medals in the history of the World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi.
Meanwhile, Kabiraj Negi Lama of Nepal was presented with the Para Taekwondo Coach of the Year award, after playing a key role in the country’s historic first-ever Paralympic medal in 2024, as well as their bronze medal at the Asian Youth Para Games Dubai 2025.
The Kick of the Year Award was presented to CJ Nickolas of the USA, whose dynamic techniques and explosive power consistently electrify the arena and captivate fans around the world.
In the institutional categories, the Chinese Taekwondo Association received the MNA of the Year (Contribution) award in recognition of the successful organisation of the Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Championships, while USA Taekwondo was presented with the MNA of the Year (MNA Ranking) award, based on the latest World Taekwondo MNA rankings.
At the Gala Awards, World Taekwondo president Dr. Chungwon Chouepresented an appreciation plaque to Council Member and UAE Taekwondo Federation President Dr. Ahmed AlZeyoudi, in recognition of his efforts to promote Taekwondo in the region through the Fujairah Open and the hosting of the Gala Awards 2025.
The 2026 World Taekwondo Gala Awards will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on November 29, in conjunction with the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final scheduled on November 27-29.
