Iran wins world Taekwondo title

Iran has for the first time claimed the title of the World Taekwondo Championships in the men’s category during the 2011 competitions in South Korea’s Gyeongju.

Iranian taekwondo athlete Yousef Karami took the country’s medal tally to six when he snatched the third gold medal for Iran on Friday.

In the -87kg category, the 28-year-old Iranian defeated his rivals from Jamaica, China, Russia, and Spain before winning against his South Korean opponent Cha Dong-Min in the final match.

Earlier in the day, Iran’s Kourosh Rajoli earned a bronze medal in the men’s +87kg category.

Totally, the Iranian squad won three golds by Karami, Alireza Nasr Azadani and Farzad Abdullahi, one sliver by Mohammad Baqeri Motamed, and two bronze medals by Rajoli and Meysam Baqeri.

The title is the first championship for Iran during the past 20 editions of the tournament. South Korea had won all the previous events and Iran became the runner-up for five times. In the women’s category, South Korea won the title.

Iran participated in the competition with eight athletes.

The 20th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships was held in South Korea from May 1 to May 6.