Two Uzbek athletes claimed medals in the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships

The 23rd edition of World Taekwondo Championships launched in Muju, South Korea on June 24 and set to finish on June 30.

Uzbekistan's two athletes secured the medals in men’s Lightweight and women’s Bantamweight at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships.

Dinorahon Mamadibragimova earned at least bronze in the competition by reaching the -53kg semi-finals in South Korea. She became only the first Uzbek taekwondo fighter to claim World Championships medal in all editions of World Taekwondo Championships.

Mamadibragimova won Nepal’s Neema Gurung by the punitive declaration in the round of 64 before she ensured an 8-2 victory over Tunisian Rahma Ben Ali in the next round. Uzbek international claimed an 8-7 win over American Aziza Chambers on the way to the quarterfinals which was finished with a success of Dinorahon Mamadibragimova against Serbian Tijana Bogdanović by booking a place in the semi-finals.

However, she had to stop her victorious campaign at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships after her 11-7 defeat from Turkish Zeliha Ağrıs in the semi-finals.

Another Uzbek taekwondo fighter claimed a silver medal in men’s lightweight (-74kg). Nikita Rafalovich secured a place in the final bout by beating Azeri Sina Bahrami, Wilkin Heredia from Dominican Republic, Argentinean Jorge Álvarez, Mexican René Lizárraga, and Kazakhstan’s Kairat Sarymsakov.