Shahzeb Clinches Silver for Pakistan at Asian Taekwondo Championship

News Desk 

Islamabad: Hamdi Riyad from Saudi Arabia won the gold medal by defeating Shahzeb Khan from Pakistan in the final of the -54 kg category at the Asian Taekwondo Championship held in Da Nang, Vietnam.

In the first round of the final, Shahzeb led with a score of 1-0 against his Saudi opponent. The second round was fiercely contested, with Hamdi Riyad narrowly winning by 9 points to 8, according to a press release.

The third and decisive round saw controversial refereeing decisions that appeared to favor the Saudi athlete, leading to Hamdi Riyad securing the gold medal with a final score of 7-3.

Despite the loss, Shahzeb Khan made history by earning Pakistan its first-ever silver medal at the Asian Taekwondo Championship.

In other matches of the day, Pakistan’s Ikhtshamul Haque was defeated by India’s Rishabh in the -87 kg category with a score of 2-1. In the -58 kg category, Saudi Arabia’s Jar Yousef won against Pakistan’s Abu Bakr Siddiq with the same scoreline of 2-1. In the women’s -73 kg category, Korea’s Myeong Mi-Na defeated Pakistan’s Maleeha 2-0.