New feat for Tunisian taekwondo: Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi won, this Saturday in Nanjing (China), the world gold medal in the -63 kg category, after a controlled final against the Iranian Ali Haj Mousaei. Already a double Olympic medalist, the young champion confirms his international stature by offering Tunisia a new global title.
A flawless climb to gold
Before triumphing in the final, Jendoubi had completed an exemplary journey. He successively won against the Surinamese Bendjino Maisedjan (2-0; 16-3 / 15-3), the Russian Maksim Osin (2-0; 10-9 / 4-1), the Hungarian Omar Gergely (2-0; 13-1 / 11-10) and the Kazakh Samirkhan Ababakirov (2-1; 6-4 / 4-2 / 3-11) in quarter final.
The Tunisian then found himself qualified directly for the final, his potential semi-final opponent, the Jordanian Mahmoud Al-Taraira, having benefited from a medical victory over an injured Chinese player. According to the regulations of the World Taekwondo Federation (WT), an athlete declared the winner by medical decision is excused from the next fight for health reasons, which propelled Jendoubi directly to the final.
An already legendary track record
At only 23 years old, Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi continues to write the history of Tunisian sport. After the Olympic silver from Tokyo 2020 (postponed to 2021) and the bronze from Paris 2024, the champion from La Marsa offers himself his first world title. This coronation places him among the best taekwondoists of his generation and confirms the consistency of his performances for almost a decade.
Other Tunisian results
In the same competition, the Tunisian Ikram Dhahri stopped in the 32nd finals. After a convincing victory against Hong Kong’s Lam Siu Wai (2-0; 8-0 / 3-0), she was eliminated by Taiwanese world number two Luo Yu-Yun (or Liu Yu-Yun), with a score of (0-0 / 2-4).
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