Afghan taekwondo athlete Zain wins bronze in Kazakhstan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghanistan national taekwondo team member Hekmatullah Zain has won the bronze medal at the Kazakhstan Open International Taekwondo Championships after consecutive victories over athletes from Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan.

The tournament began on Thursday, with more than 10 Afghan athletes participating.

Mohammad Bashir Taraki, head coach of Afghanistan’s national team, wrote on Facebook: “Hekmatullah Zain defeated his Kyrgyz opponent and secured the bronze medal for Afghanistan at the Kazakhstan Open Taekwondo Championships.”

Competing in the fourth weight category, Zain advanced to the semifinals after defeating his Saudi Arabian and Kyrgyz opponents. He was the only Afghan athlete to win a medal at the competition.

sa