China secures multiple medals at 2025 World Taekwondo Championships

Home favourite Xiang Qizhang picked up silver in the men's 80 kilograms division at the World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi, with Brazil's Henrique Marques taking the gold.

The final battle between two 21-year-olds remained a close contest for most of the match. Marques secured the first round by two points to one, while the second round ended without either competitor landing a decisive blow. Ultimately, Marques emerged victorious, thanks to a superior overall points advantage, claiming the gold medal. Xiang's silver marked China's first in this event. Meanwhile, Individual Neutral Athlete Artem Mytarev and South Korea's Seo Geon-woo shared the bronze.

Reflecting on his performance in the final, Xiang admitted he had not fully displayed the results of his training. "I did not feel very relaxed during the competition. I had met my opponent before in the group match and was hesitant to fight against him," Xiang said. "I felt regretful that I did not show my level of daily training. I could sense my opponents were stronger than me in the 80kg division, but they did not move as fast as I did. I performed well in my previous matches by taking advantage of my high speed. But I did not bring my advantage into the final and allowed my opponent to show his strength."

In the women's 46 kilograms category, Chinese debutant Wang Shiyi advanced to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Milana Bekulova, who also competed as an Individual Neutral Athlete.

Türkiye's Emine Gogebakan claimed the silver medal, while Kazakhstan's Aidana Kumartayeva also earned a bronze, sharing the podium with Wang.

In the women's +73 kilograms division, China's Mu Wenzhe lost in the semifinals to Uzbekistan's Svetlana Osipova. That defeat earned Mu a bronze medal, marking the fifth bronze for the host nation in the tournament.

On a strong day for Türkiye, Nafia Kus claimed the gold medal, while Osipova settled for silver. Great Britain's Tokyo silver medallist Lauren Williams shared the other bronze medal.