Iran’s Baqerzadeh wins world cadet taekwondo bronze

Iran’s Fatemeh Baqerzadeh grabbed a bronze on the second day of the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships – a fourth medal for the country in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Representing Iran in the girls’ -41kg contests, Baqerzadeh overcame opponents from Niger, USA, and Italy before suffering a 2-1 (14-13, 8-18, 10-9) defeat against South Korean Lee Yu-min in the semifinals to settle for a joint third-spot finish alongside Despoina Nalmpanti of Greece.

Uzbekistan’s Laylo Khasanova beat the South Korean contestant for the gold.

Baqerzadeh’s medal came a day after her compatriots Baran Jamal-Livani (-29kg) and Sayna Alipour (-51kg) had bagged a couple of gold medals in the girls’ competitions, while Mohammad-Erfan Zare’ finished his campaign with a consolation silver in the boys’ -65kg weight class.