China Taekwondo Open: Morocco’s Farah Touzani claims world gold

Moroccan taekwondo athlete Farah Touzani delivered a remarkable performance on Friday, winning the gold medal in the under-46 kg category at the Women’s World Open Tournament (G-4) held in China.

The 19-year-old, ranked 12th in the world in her category, produced an outstanding run, notching up five consecutive victories against several of the top competitors in this high-level event, the Royal Moroccan Taekwondo Federation (FRMT) said in a statement.

Touzani began her campaign with a convincing win over Kazakhstan’s Komartayeva, ranked 38th in the world, by two rounds to none. She then defeated Bosnia’s Makas Džejla, the world No. 9, by the same scoreline to book her place in the quarter-finals.

In the quarter-finals, the Moroccan delivered one of the standout performances of the tournament, overcoming Russia’s Milana Bekoulova, the world No. 1 in the category, by two rounds to none.

Riding that momentum, the Moroccan champion prevailed in the semi-finals against China’s Yi Xiaoting, ranked sixth in the world, after a fiercely contested bout that she won by two rounds to one.

In the final, Touzani confirmed her superiority by defeating China’s Xie Wang, ranked 33rd in the world, by two rounds to one, thereby claiming the world title. The victory comes at an important stage in the race for Olympic qualification. The tournament allows the Moroccan champion to collect 40 points in the Olympic rankings, a tally equivalent to that awarded at a continental competition.

The title won in China marks another step forward in Farah Touzani’s rise and strengthens her standing among the leading hopes of Moroccan taekwondo on the international stage.