- TEHRAN – Seyyed Mohammad Rafiei snatched the eighth weight gold and helped Iran leapfrog third-placed Thailand in the World Juniors’ Taekwondo Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, a seaport in southern Vietnam, Saturday.

The priceless gold came as Rafiei edged past players from Belarus, Germany, Taiwan, and South Korea before the final showdown and China’s representative in the top spot battle.

Rafiei won the final 5-2, bringing Iran’s points to 49 while South Korea is the table-topper and Thailand is third in the table on 38 points.

On the last day (Sunday), Payam Qobadi and Alireza Yussefi will represent Iran in the ninth and 10th weights respectively.