National taekwondo fighter wins bronze at Junior Championshipss in S Korea

Azerbaijan taekwondo fighter Vasif Salimov (63 kg) has won bronze medal at Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Azernews reports.

Although V. Salimov defeated his rivals from Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, Taiwan and Thailand, he lost to the Bulgarian taekwondo fighter and took third place.

A total of 18 athletes represented the country in the competition.

Ilyas Hatemli (45 kg), Muhammad Hasanli (48 kg), Harun Salmanzade (51 kg), Fuad Maharramli (55 kg), Ziya Hasanli (59 kg), Vasif Salimov (63 kg), Yunis Huseynov (68 kg), Huseyn Khudiyev (73 kg), Elcan Aliyev (78 kg), and Allahverdi Mammadov (+78 kg) competed in the boys' team.

The girls' team comprised of Gulu Zamanli (42 kg), Khuraman Javadzade (44 kg), Nilufar Borji (49 kg), Seyidkhanim Mammadova (52 kg), Sehri Jalalova (55 kg), Fatima Hasanova (59 kg), Nargiz Kazimova (63 kg), and Bahar Ibrahimova (68 kg).

Taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in Azerbaijan.

The National Taekwondo Federation has trained many prominent athletes since its foundation in 1992.

In 2018, Radik Isayev (80 kg) was crowned European Champion for the second time in his career.

Another national taekwondo fighter Milad Beigi Harchegani (80 kg) became the world taekwondo champion in 2019.

In 2021, Azerbaijani female taekwondo athlete Minaya Akbarova claimed a bronze medal at the European Taekwondo Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She won the bronze medal in the 46 kg weight class.

Moreover, the Azerbaijani taekwondo team won five medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games.

The taekwondo fighters won one gold, two silver, and two bronze in Konya, Turkiye.

The medals came from Farida Azizova (gold medal), Javad Aghayev, Minaya Akbarova (silver medals), Hashim Mahammadov, and Patimat Abakarova (bronze).

In total, Azerbaijani sportsmen captured 99 medals at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, including 29 gold, 36 silver, and 34 bronze.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, taekwondo fighter Gashim Magomedov (58 kg) and boxer Alfonso Dominguez (92 kg) enriched the country's medal haul with silver medals.

The national team secured a total of seven medals, including two gold, two silver and three bronze.