NOURNEWS: Iranian athletes faced their opponents on the final day of the China Open Taekwondo Championships, where Moradi won all of her bouts, advanced to the final and ultimately claimed the world title by defeating her Greek opponent.
Three Iranian athletes competed on Sunday in the under-57kg and under-67kg categories.
In the under-57kg division, Nahid Kiani received a bye in the opening round before facing Makayla Greenwood of the United States, the 2022 world champion, in the second round. Kiani lost 2–0 and was eliminated from the competition.
Hasti Mohammadi, Iran’s other representative in the under-57kg category, defeated Ilona Resna Adam of Comoros 2–0 in the opening round to advance. In the second round, Mohammadi faced China’s Chuling Zhang, bronze medalist at the 2025 World Championships, and was defeated 2–0.
In the under-67kg category, Saghаr Moradi defeated Russia’s Daria Mesli 2–0 in the opening round. She then beat China’s Jianni Xing 2–0 in the second round. Xing was the runner-up at the previous edition of the competition and won a silver medal at the 2025 Bangkok Grand Prix.
Moradi advanced to the round of 16, where she defeated Chloe Chua of the United States 2–0 to reach the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Moradi faced Croatia’s Doris Pole and secured another 2–0 victory, guaranteeing herself at least a bronze medal and advancing to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Moradi faced Serbia’s Aleksandra Peršić, the Paris Olympic silver medalist and a winner of both silver and gold medals at the World Championships and European Championships. Moradi prevailed in two straight rounds to book her place in the final.
In the final, Moradi faced Greece’s Stylliani Marnentaki and won both rounds to secure the title at the World Women’s Open Taekwondo Championships.
With six consecutive victories and not losing a single round throughout the tournament, Moradi dominated the under-67kg category and stood atop the podium.
On the opening day of the competition, Iran’s Hanna Zarin-Kamar had also won a silver medal in the over-73kg category.
Under the guidance of head coach Mehrouz Saei, Iran’s women’s national team finished the World Women’s Open Championships with one gold and one silver medal across five weight categories.
Nournews