Iranian books berth at World taekwondo Championships

Farzan Ashourzadeh, better known as Iran’s Tsunami, has booked a berth in the -58kg semifinals of the 2015 WTF World Taekwondo Championships at the Traktor Arena of Chelyabinsk, Russia.

The Iranian phenom handed his Mexican rival a 9-2 drubbing in Tuesday’s quarterfinal of the 22nd edition of the World Taekwondo Federation-organized meet.

Getting a first-round bye, the teen breezed past the Kyrgyz taekwondoka 17-3 and had 14-6 and 11-1 walkovers in his fights against Ecuadorian and Thai representatives respectively.

Ashourzadeh, who won the gold medal in the flyweight division (-58kg) at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and has the 2014 Asian 2015 Lotto Dutch Open gold medals under his belt, will take on a semifinalist from the host country Russia on Wednesday.

The tournament, which runs for seven days from May 12-18, is a key gateway for athletes seeking Olympic glory.

“Everyone knows the significance of the championships in relation to the Olympics,” worldtaekwondofederation.net quoted Yang Jin-bang, the WTF Technical Committee chairman and director general of the WTF Seoul headquarters, as saying.

The official added the event offers the biggest tranche of seeding points prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics. ”We are now on track to Rio!”

A group of elite athletes, speaking at a press conference on the eve of battle, differed over how the looming Olympic pressure would affect their performances.

Asked how important it was to add a world championship to his list of titles, Italy’s Carlo Molfetta, the London 2012 Olympic gold medalist, said, “I never took a gold medal [in world championships] but this is not the problem. One year before the Olympic Games, I think the important thing is to take points.”

Other athletes take the pressure in their stride.

“I realize that I have only one year left for the Olympics, but I will perform as always: I rely on fair refereeing and myself,” said Korea’s Lee Dae-hoon, a silver medalist from London 2012. “There are no secrets here.”

Croatia’s Lucija Zaninovic, the 2012 London Olympic bronze medalist, is taking things one step at a time. “For me, every competition is the same and every competition is important, and this is a world championship, so it is one dimension higher, as it is the last championship before Rio,” she said.  “But it is first this, then the European Games in Baku, then we will see.”

For one athlete, the pressure in Chelyabinsk is particularly intense: Russia’s Olga Ivanova hails from the host city. “Definitely, I am a bit nervous!’ she said. “An event in Chelyabinsk is an additional responsibility for me, but there is also additional support for me from family and friends.”

Fellow Russian Albert Gaon – one of the sport’s great characters and the winner of the 2014 Grand Prix Final – denied the pressure of home-turf expectations. “It won’t affect my performance, I will relax, I will dance I will smile,” he said. “No changes for me!”

 Indeed, enjoying the game may be the secret to taekwondo longevity. “The secret of 20 years at the world level in taekwondo is to enjoy every training session,” said Mexico’s Maria Espinoza, the gold medalist in Beijing 2008 and the bronze medalist in London 2012. “And I still enjoy it.”

Registered for the seven-day event are 873 players – 525 male and 348 female – representing 139 countries. They will be battling for medals in 16 weight categories, eight male and eight female. Matches will be held on five octagonal courts at Chelyabinsk’s Traktor Arena.

Technologies designed to ensure fairness and transparency will be fully leveraged. The championships will use a Daedo electronic protector and scoring system (PSS) on both body and head; it is the first time electronic head protectors have been used at a taekwondo world championship.

There will also be three cameras available for video replays, while 100 international referees will oversee the action.

The 2015 championship also marks the first time a World Taekwondo Championship has been held in Russia, a rising power in the sport.

KK/HJL

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk