Iran Secures 2nd Place at Asian Karate Championships Under-21

WANA (Sep 07) – The Iranian under-21 karate team finished as runners-up at the Asian Karate Championships, held in Shaoguan, China, claiming 7 gold, 9 silver, and 6 bronze medals.

On the final day, Iranian athletes delivered outstanding performances: Yalda Naqi Beiranvand (−50kg), Mehrangar Ahmadi (−61kg), Hananeh Salehi (+68kg), and Hossein Vafa (−67kg) all captured gold medals.

Silver medalists included Mohammad Javad Safari (−75kg), Abolfazl Hamdamjo (−60kg), and Fatemeh Zahra Saeedabadi (−55kg), while Mahan Mirzaei (+84kg) earned bronze.

With these results, Iran secured second place in the overall medal table, behind Japan, which topped the rankings with 12 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze medals. Kazakhstan finished third with 4 gold, 3 silver, and 10 bronze.

Key Match Highlights:

Hossein Vafa (−67kg) defeated Mortari of Kuwait 6–4, followed by victories over Changchang of Thailand (7–5) and Kudaibergen of Kazakhstan (3–1) to reach the final, where he won gold against Akilbek of Kyrgyzstan 9–3.

Yalda Naqi Beiranvand (−50kg) overcame Maharjan of Nepal 6–1, Amanda Dai of Indonesia 5–1 in the semifinals, and Yu Chan of Chinese Taipei 5–0 in the final.

Mehrangar Ahmadi (−61kg) advanced after a 0–0 draw against Sawki of Japan, winning by referee decision, defeated Hanf Ali of India 8–0, and then beat Bakirova of Kazakhstan 2–1 in the final.

Hananeh Salehi (+68kg) defeated Binti Faizal of Malaysia 4–0 and Orzaliwa of Kyrgyzstan 6–1 in the final.

Fatemeh Zahra Saeedabadi (−55kg) won initial rounds against opponents from Yemen and the Philippines but fell 4–1 to Nguyen of Vietnam in the final, earning silver.

Abolfazl Hamdamjo (−60kg) won early rounds but lost 10–2 in the final to Turbek of Kazakhstan.

Mohammad Javad Safari (−75kg) lost to Mugari of Saudi Arabia after a 0–0 draw and referee decision in the final, claiming silver.

Mahan Mirzaei (+84kg) defeated Liang of China 9–0, lost in the semifinals to Zhaksilok of Kazakhstan 7–0, and then won the bronze match against Alqaid of Saudi Arabia 7–3.

Iran Secures 2nd Place at Asian Karate Championships Under-21. Social media/ WANA News Agency