Khirfan, Tubtimdang, Song and Salimi Close Out Asian Games 2026 Taekwondo
Serkan Çevik
03 Oct 2026
TOYOHASHI, Japan — Asian Games 2026 taekwondo came to an end on Saturday in Aichi-Nagoya, with four new champions from four different nations on the final day.
Fadia Khirfan wins Jordan’s gold in −57kg
The biggest breakthrough came from Jordan. Fadia Khirfan won the women’s −57kg title, beating China’s Zhang Chuling 2–1 in rounds. Khirfan was born in 2007, and her rise has been fast. She took bronze at the 2025 World Championships in Wuxi in her first senior season, and this summer she won the −57kg title at the Taiyuan 2026 Women’s Open. This gold confirms her as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division.
Tubtimdang and Song win tight finals
In the men’s −68kg, Thailand’s Banlung Tubtimdang beat Iran’s Mahdi Hajimousaei Nafouti 2–0 in a tight final, taking the rounds 5–4 and 3–2. The Thai fighter is the reigning world champion at featherweight after winning in Wuxi last year.
South Korea finally found a kyorugi gold through Song Da-bin. She edged China’s Mu Wenzhe 2–1 in the women’s +67kg final after losing the second round 4–10, then winning the decider 8–5. It was Korea’s first sparring title of the Games, after two poomsae golds on day one.
Arian Salimi dominates +80kg final
The most one-sided final came in the men’s +80kg. Paris 2024 Olympic champion Arian Salimi crushed Uzbekistan’s Marat Mavlonov 26–4 and 20–8, giving Iran its second gold of the event.
Seven nations share the kyorugi titles
Across the eight kyorugi categories, seven nations won gold. Iran took two, while China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Thailand and South Korea won one each. In total, taekwondo awarded 11 titles in Aichi-Nagoya: two in poomsae, eight in kyorugi and one in virtual taekwondo.
The spread of medals shows how competitive Asian taekwondo has become. Traditional powers no longer dominate the podium, and nations like Jordan and Thailand now produce champions at the highest level.
