In the continuation of the 27th Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia, Afghanistan’s national athletes Hikmatullah Zain and Mohammad Ashraf Shakran are set to compete against their opponents. The two Afghan fighters will face representatives from Hong Kong and Tajikistan in important matches.
Hikmatullah Zain, Afghanistan’s representative in the men’s under-68 kg category, will take on Fong Lo Wai of Hong Kong in the round of 32. If he wins, he will advance to the round of 16 to face the winner of the matches involving athletes from Kazakhstan, Bahrain, and Jordan.
In another match, Mohammad Ashraf Shakran, Afghanistan’s national athlete in the men’s under-80 kg division, will compete against Fazilov Aslanbek of Tajikistan in the round of 32.
If Shakran succeeds in this bout, he will face Jasurbek Jaysunov of Uzbekistan in the next round, an athlete who received a bye in the opening round.
The Asian Taekwondo Championships, which also serve as a qualifier for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, are being held in Mongolia from May 21 to 25, with athletes from 42 Asian countries participating.
So far, none of Afghanistan’s athletes have secured qualification for the 2026 Asian Games. Earlier, Ali Akbar Amiri, Azad Baig Norouzi, and Omid Sahak were defeated in their opening matches, while Ehsam Rahimi lost in his second fight and was eliminated from the competition.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
