KARACHI: Pakistani athletes delievered splendid performance at the 6th Asian Taekwondo Open Championship in Tangerang, Indonesia, as Ikhtshamul Haq won a silver medal in the (-87 kg) category on the first day of the international tournament while Maleeha Ali earned bronze medal in women’s category.
He was narrowly defeated by Malaysia’s Zubair MS in the final, with scores of 5-7 and 7-12.
Ikhtsham had earlier advanced to the final after a strong performance in the semi-finals, where he defeated Indonesia’s Azhar Salim with a commanding 13-10 and 10-0.
In the men’s -68 kg quarter-finals, Pakistan’s Arbaz Khan faced Kazakhstan’s Kassanov Izyat. Arbaz won the first round 8-6, but Kassanov came back to win the next two rounds 9-7 and 19-7, securing his spot in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, in the women’s -73 kg category, Pakistan’s Maleeha earned a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals. She was defeated by Korea’s Shin Jeongeun, who won 3-0 and 4-1, advancing to the final.
In the women’s -57 kg event, Noor Fatima of Pakistan lost to the Philippines’ McCann Nicole by 3-5 and 7-5.
The championship continues with strong performances from Pakistan’s athletes, hoping to add more medals to their tally.