WANA (Oct 29) – Iranian taekwondo athlete Abolfazl Zandi claimed the gold medal in the men’s -58 kg category at the 2025 World Taekwondo Championships in China, marking Iran’s first world title in a decade.

 

In the final bout, Zandi defeated Georgy Gurtsiev of Russia, the reigning world silver medalist, with a commanding 2–0 victory. He won the first round 6–4 and sealed the match in the second round 12–8 to capture Iran’s first gold at this year’s championships.

 

This triumph marks Iran’s first men’s world gold medal since the 2015 World Championships.

Iran’s Abolfazl Zandi Wins Gold at World Taekwondo Championships in China

Iranian taekwondo athlete Abolfazl Zandi. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Zandi advanced to the final after a flawless series of wins:

  • Defeated Ademi Bleron (Kosovo) 2–0 in the opening round
  • Overcame Vito Dell’Aquila (Italy), Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, 2–0
  • Beat Jesus Rodriguez (Spain) 2–0 in the third round
  • Won 2–0 over Manenkov (Ukraine) in the quarterfinals
  • Defeated Kaifen Hang (China) 2–0 in the semifinals

 

Another Iranian athlete, Kosar Esaseh, was eliminated earlier in the competition. Earlier in the tournament, Mehdi Hayej Mousaei earned a silver medal, while ten other Iranian competitors in both men’s and women’s divisions exited early.

 

The championship concludes Thursday, with Iran’s final representatives — Amirsina Bakhtiari (-74 kg men’s) and Mobina Ne’matzadeh, Paris Olympic bronze medalist (-53 kg women’s) — set to compete on the last day.