Pakistan’s Ikhtshamul Haq wins silver at 6th Asian Taekwondo Open Championship

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Ikhtshamul Haq won a silver medal in the (-87 kg) category on the first day of the 6th Asian Taekwondo Open Championship in Tangerang, Indonesia.

In the final, he was narrowly beaten by Malaysia’s Zubair MS, with scores of 5-7 and 7-12.

Earlier, Ikhtsham made it to the final after a strong showing in the semi-finals, where he defeated Indonesia’s Azhar Salim with scores of 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, moving on to the semi-finals.

In the women’s -73 kg category, Pakistan’s Maleeha Ali earned a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals, where she lost to Korea’s Shin Jeongeun, who won 3-0 and 4-1, advancing to the final.

In the women’s -57 kg event, Pakistan’s Noor Fatima was defeated by the Philippines’ McCann Nicole, with scores of 3-5 and 7-5.

The championship is ongoing, with Pakistan’s athletes aiming to win more medals.