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Paris Olympics: Iran's Barkhordari cruises into taekwondo 80kg final, eyes gold

Friday, 09 August 2024 3:34 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 09 August 2024 3:34 PM ]

Iran's Mehran Barkhordari beats South Korea's Seo Geon-woo 2-1 in taekwondo men's 80kg semifinals at the Paris Olympics on August 9, 2024.

Iran's Mehran Barkhordari beats South Korea's Seo Geon-woo 2-1 in taekwondo men's 80kg semifinals at the Paris Olympics to head to a gold medal match, guaranteeing another medal for his country.

In the first round, Barkhordari was defeated by his Korean opponent with a score of 4-2. However, he made a strong comeback in the second round, gaining a 13-9 advantage.

Barkhordari continued his momentum in the third round, securing a 12-8 victory, thus winning the match 2-1 overall and advancing to the finals.

It was an intense and close match, with the outcome uncertain until the last moments.

Iran's Mehran Barkhordari beats South Korea's Seo Geon-woo 2-1 in taekwondo men's 80kg semifinals at the Paris Olympics to head to gold medal match, guaranteeing another medal for his country.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/IWnYUXtzyy
— Press TV at Paris Olympics (@presstvsports) August 9, 2024

Iran’s taekwondo team has shown stellar performance in the competitions, with Nahid Kiyani earning a silver medal on Thursday and first-time Olympian Mobina Nematzadeh securing a bronze on Wednesday.

The fourth Iranian athlete, Ariyan Salimi, will begin his matches in the 80+ kg category on Saturday.

Taekwondo has a strong history in the Olympics and is regarded as a sport with high medal potential for Iran.

In the Tokyo Olympics, the Iranian team’s wrestling, weightlifting, and taekwondo performance was also impressive, bringing home seven medals, including three gold.

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