Nairobi hosts historic first day of World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships
NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya welcomed the world’s best young Taekwondo athletes today as the inaugural World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships began at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya welcomed the world’s best young Taekwondo athletes today as the inaugural World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships began at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
The landmark event, which runs until December 6, featured four weight categories in action on the opening day, providing a vital new competitive platform for athletes transitioning from junior to senior level competition.
In the Men’s -58kg category, Iran’s recently-crowned world champion Abolfazl Zandi claimed the gold medal with victory over Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Magomedgadzhi Magomedov in the final. The bronze medals were secured by Brazil’s Gabriel Fonseca and Greece’s Konstantinos Dimitropoulos.
The Women’s -49kg division produced a standout performance from AIN Milana Bekulova, the Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Championships silver medallist who also won bronze at the Malabo 2025 World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships last month. Bekulova returned to winning form with a gold medal victory over Korea’s Hyang Gi Kim. Morocco’s Nezha Elaasal and Serbia’s Andrea Bokan claimed the bronze medals.
Kazakhstan’s Beibarys Kablan dominated the Men’s +87kg category to take the gold medal, defeating Korea’s Jun Young Yang who earned silver. Tunisia’s Motaz Ifaoui and Iran’s Amirmohammad Ashrafi, crowned world junior champion in Chuncheon last year, both stepped onto the podium with bronze medals.
The day’s final category, the Women’s +73kg division, saw Türkiye’s Zehra Begum Kavukcuoglu triumph over Greece’s Agoritsa Artemia Kitsiou in the final. Ukraine’s Mariia Kuts and Morocco’s Imane Khayari secured the bronze medals.
The World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships continue tomorrow with competition in the Women’s -57kg and -73kg categories, and the Men’s -63kg and -80kg divisions, promising more world-class action from Taekwondo’s rising stars.
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