Accra:Arian Salimi has won the gold medal in the men's +80kg taekwondo event at the 2026 Asian Games.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Salimi, who is the Paris 2024 Olympic champion, received a bye in the first round. He then defeated Tang Hao of China and Mohammad Al-Adarbeh of Jordan to reach the final.

In the final match, Salimi faced Murat Malonov of Uzbekistan and secured the championship by winning two consecutive rounds. He dominated the first round with a score of 26-4 and continued his strong performance in the second round, winning 20-8 to claim the gold medal.

Alongside Salimi's triumph, Iran's Mehdi Haji Mousaei won the silver medal, while Fatemeh Ahmadi took bronze. However, Nahid Kiani was eliminated from the competition. Saghar Moradi won gold on Friday, but three other Iranian taekwondo practitioners were eliminated.

With Salimi's victory, Iran's eight-member taekwondo team concluded its campaign at the 20th Asian Games with a total of two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.