Salimi strikes gold as Iran closes Asian Games taekwondo campaign with four medals
Iran wrapped up its taekwondo campaign at the 2026 Asian Games with two gold, one silver and one bronze medal after Olympic champion Arian Salimi won the men’s +80kg title on the final day in Nagoya.
Salimi defeated Uzbekistan’s Marat Mavlonov 2-0 in the gold-medal contest at Toyohashi Gymnasium, winning both rounds decisively, 26-4 and 20-8.
The Iranian, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion, received a first-round bye before defeating China’s Tang Hao and Jordan’s Mohammad Aladarbi on his way to the final. Salimi had also beaten Mavlonov earlier this year at the Asian Taekwondo Championships, where he won the +87kg title.
Iran also added a silver medal through Mahdi Hajimousaei in the men’s -68kg division. The Iranian overcame Jordan’s Zaid Kareem, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist, 2-1 in the semifinals after losing the second round 6-4 but responding with a 16-5 victory in the third.
Hajimousaei then faced Thailand’s Banlung Tubtimdang in the final and lost 2-0. Tubtimdang is a former Asian Games champion and 2025 world champion who won the men’s -63kg title at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Iran’s women also contributed two medals to the overall haul.
On the final day, Fatemeh Ahmadi secured Iran’s fourth taekwondo medal by taking bronze in the women’s +67kg category. She advanced to the semifinals with wins over opponents from Chinese Taipei and Saudi Arabia before losing to South Korea’s Song Da-bin in two straight rounds.
Saghar Moradi had already won gold in the women’s -67kg category on Friday.
The four-medal haul — two golds, one silver and one bronze — completed Iran’s taekwondo campaign in Nagoya.
🥋 Iranian taekwondo athlete Mehdi Haji Mousaei secured Iran’s second medal in the sport at the Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after defeating China’s representative in his opening bout, guaranteeing himself at least a bronze medal in the competition.@presstvsports pic.twitter.com/yvker7Mh08
— Press TV Sports (@presstvsports) October 3, 2026
Iran now ranks 7th in the medals table with a haul of 16 gold, 18 silver, and 15 bronze medals.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games are being held from September 19 to October 4 across venues in Japan, with around 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions competing in 43 sports.
Iran's delegation, named “Minab Angels”—a tribute to the victims of the US-Israeli attack on Shajareh Tayyebe Elementary School in Minab on February 28—is competing at the Games with 305 athletes across 38 sports.
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