WANA (Oct 23) – Iran claimed its first gold medal at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain after Behdad Naghiei, the country’s representative in the boys’ taekwondo poomsae category, delivered an impressive performance.
The taekwondo competitions kicked off Thursday morning at the Bahrain International Exhibition Center.
In the preliminary round, Naghiei defeated Kaleb Angelo Calde of the Philippines with a score of 8.5, advancing to the quarterfinals. He then edged past a competitor from Chinese Taipei with 8.56 points to reach the semifinals, where he once again scored 8.56 to overcome his Thai opponent and secure a spot in the final.
In the gold medal match, Naghiei put on a strong performance, defeating his Chinese rival with a score of 8.76, earning Iran’s first gold medal of the Games.
Zeinab Shahriari, Iran’s representative in the girls’ taekwondo poomsae category. Social media/ WANA News Agency
In the girls’ category, Zeinab Shahriari claimed Iran’s second gold medal of the Asian Youth Games. She began her campaign by defeating her Singaporean opponent with a score of 8.4, advancing to the next round. Shahriari then overcame a Hong Kong athlete with 8.56 points, moving on to the semifinals, where she beat the Chinese Taipei representative to reach the final.
In the championship match, Shahriari delivered an outstanding performance, defeating Kristine Aguila of the Philippines with a score of 8.86, decisively winning the gold medal — Iran’s second of the Games, both earned in taekwondo poomsae.
Iran’s Mixed Poomsae Team Wins Third Gold
The Iranian mixed poomsae team, composed of Zeinab Shahriari and Behdad Naghiei, secured Iran’s third gold medal.
They started their run by defeating Pakistan in the opening round to reach the quarterfinals, where they beat South Korea with a score of 8.65, guaranteeing at least a bronze medal.
In the semifinals, the Iranian duo defeated Chinese Taipei with 8.63 points to advance to the final, where they triumphed over Thailand with 8.78 points, earning Iran’s third gold medal of the Games.
The boys’ team is coached by Seyyed Hossein Moussania, while the girls’ team is led by Mahdieh Oghbaei.
Behdad Naghiei, Iran’s representative in the boys’ taekwondo poomsae category at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain. Social media/ WANA News Agency