CHUNCHEON, Korea (KHURRAM SHEHZAD): The World Taekwondo Junior Championships concluded with
gold medals for Korea’s Junho Sim, Morocco’s Amina Dehhaoui and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN)
Amir Vykov.
It has been an outstanding six days in Chuncheon, where Taekwondo’s young stars from around the
world have delivered a magnificent competition and demonstrated there is a bright future for the
sport.
Iran finished top and hosts Korea were second in both the women’s and men’s team standings.
After the conclusion of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, the following awards were
presented:
Most Valuable Player Men: Amirmohammad Ashrafi (Islamic Republic of Iran) M+78kg
Most Valuable Player Women: Yumin Lee (Korea) W-46kg
Men Team Standing: Iran, Korea, Uzbekistan, Croatia, Greece
Women Team Standing: Iran, Korea, Croatia, Chinese Taipei, China
Best Men Team Coach: Feizoallah Nafjam (Iran)
Best Women Team Coach: Fatemeh Safarpoor (Iran)
Best Male Referee: Mickael Cruz (Puerto Rico)
Best Female Referee: Mijung Lee (Korea)
Good Fighting Spirit: Saudi Arabia
Active Participation Award: Mongolia
Men’s -59kg
Sim took the first gold medal of the final day in dramatic fashion as he triumphed in the closing
seconds against Türkiye’s Yusuf Badem. The Korean athlete had the edge in the first round, leading
for most of it and eventually winning 14-7. However, Badem started the second round brightly with
an early head kick which set the tone for a comfortable 10-1 victory. That forced a deciding round, in
which the momentum appeared to have shifted in Badem’s favour. He led until last few seconds, but
two body shots helped Sim to move into a 10-7 lead and seal a remarkable victory.
In the semi-finals, Sim overcame Jordan’s Mahmoud Bassam Yousif in two close rounds, while
Badem prevailed in two tight rounds against Ukraine’s Samir Mirzoiev.
Women’s -55kg
Dehhaoui and AIN Aminat Ramazanova cancelled each other out for most of the first round of the
final, but two body kicks in the final 30 seconds proved decisive for the Moroccan athlete as she took
it 5-1. It was similarly cagey in the first minute of the second round, but Dehhaoui seized control and
a flurry of points helped her to triumph 12-3.
In the semi-finals, Dehhaoui lost the first round to Croatia’s Ema Bugarinović, but then did not
concede a point in the two rounds that followed to ensure her progress. Ramazanova edged a close
first round against Mümüne Nur Göz of Türkiye, then powered to a victory by technical superiority in
the second.
Men’s -68kg
Vykov took the final gold medal of the Championships in style as he triumphed in each of the rounds
at the quarter-final, semi-final and final stage by technical superiority.
In the gold medal match against Korea’s Junhyuk Lee, Vykov started off strongly and rounded off a
12-0 victory by technical superiority with a reverse turning kick to the head. Lee was able to stem
Vykov’s flow for much of the second round, but Vykov was still able to create a 12-point gap at 14-2
in the closing stages to seal gold.
Vykov had earlier dominated Thailand’s Krittayot Phrompatju in the semi-final and Montenegro’s
Ognjen Komatina in the quarter-final. On the other side of the draw, Lee’s semi-final against Egypt’s
Omar Muhammad Fathy was one of the most dramatic of the Championships. All three rounds
finished level on the scores, but it was Lee who went through with a last-second head kick in the
decider.
The next edition of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships will be held in 2026.
