Merve Dincel became world champion

National athlete Merve Dincel won the gold medal at the World Taekwondo Championships held in Azerbaijan.

According to the Turkish Taekwondo Federation statement, on the third day of the championship in the capital Baku, women’s 49kg Merve Dincel, men’s 80kg Hüseyin Kartal and 87kg Enbiya Taha Biçer moved onto the tatami.

Merve Dinçel defeated Elizaveta Ryadninskaya, who competed individually in the second round, and Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Ali Abutaleb in the third round and advanced to the quarterfinals.

After defeating Kazakh Botakoz Kapanova in the quarterfinals and Spain’s Adriana Cerezo Iglesias in the semifinals, Merve faced last Olympic champion Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand in the final. Eliminating his opponent, Merve won the gold medal.

For his part, Hüseyin Kartal won the men’s 80 kg category, and Enbiya Taha Biçer 87 kg was defeated in the third round and was eliminated. (AA)