“63 Medals: Taekwondo Achievements at the World Championships”

Hamid Pashaei

The 27th World Taekwondo Championship will be held from October 24 to 30 in Wuxi, China, and the Iranian national team will participate for the 22nd time.

Iran’s national team will compete with a full men’s team across eight weight categories and seven female athletes. After the success in the Paris Olympics, the athletes aim to stand on the global podium again.

Over 52 years of participating in world championships, Iranian taekwondo has won 63 medals, including 15 gold, 21 silver, and 27 bronze, making Iran the fifth most decorated country after South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and Chinese Taipei.

Hosein Rabie-zadeh won Iran’s first world medal in 1975, a bronze in the fourth weight category, during Iran’s debut with only four athletes.

Iran waited 24 years for its first gold medal, finally achieved in 1999 in Edmonton, Canada, by Hadi Saei and Majid Aflaki, marking Iran’s first male runner-up finish.

In the 2011 World Championships in South Korea, Iran won 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals, claiming its first world championship title; Alireza Nasr-Azadani, Farzad Abdollahi, and Yousef Karami won gold.

Iran’s second world championship title came in 2015 in Chelyabinsk, Russia, with 3 golds and 1 bronze again surpassing South Korea.

In addition to two titles, Iran has six times been runner-up and twice achieved third place, demonstrating its consistency and strength.

Hadi Saei is Iran’s most decorated world athlete with 2 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze; Yousef Karami also has 2 golds and 2 bronze medals.

Among coaches, Reza Mehmandoost and Bijan Moghannalu led the teams to world championship titles, while Gholamhossein Zolghadrri earned 6 golds, 10 silvers, and 5 bronzes in 7 participations.

In women’s taekwondo, Nahid Kiani won Iran’s first gold; Kimia Alizadeh and Mahla Momenzadeh earned silver and bronze medals.

Iran has won the most gold medals in the 74kg category, including athletes Hadi Saei, Alireza Nasr-Azadani, and Masoud Hajizavareh.

In the 87kg category, Yousef Karami and Majid Aflaki won 3 golds; Iranian athletes also won golds in other categories, while two weight classes remain without gold.

Iranian women participated for the first time in 2003 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, winning 1 gold, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze to date.

In 21 appearances, 13 Iranian athletes have won gold medals, including Hadi Saei, Yousef Karami, Majid Aflaki, Behzad Khodadad, and Nahid Kiani.

Ten coaches have led national teams in world championships, but only Reza Mehmandoost and Bijan Moghannalu achieved world titles.

Four athletes in Wuxi have previous world medals: Mehran Barkhordari, Aryan Salimi, Nahid Kiani, and Mahla Momenzadeh.

Steven Lopez from the USA is the most decorated male athlete with 5 golds, while Brigitte Yago from Spain is the most decorated female athlete with 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze.

Among the most frequent participants are Sajjad Mardani, Yousef Karami, Hadi Saei, and Majid Aflaki, each with 5 appearances.

The Iranian national team is ready to participate in Wuxi, solidifying its global standing and continuing its proud taekwondo history.