TEHRAN – Morteza Nemati is delighted to have won the karate gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, but his joy has been doubled by the success of his brother, Mahmoud, who also struck gold.
Nemati claimed the men’s -75kg title, securing his second gold medal in recent months.
Speaking exclusively to Tehran Times, Nemati reflected on his Asian Games triumph and outlined his plans for the remainder of 2026.
“I am grateful that I was able to win the first gold medal for Iran’s delegation in Nagoya,” Nemati said.
“After winning the Asian Championships, the coaching staff trusted me again and I had the honor of representing the national team once more. This time, I managed to win gold at the Asian Games.”
Nemati also spoke proudly about his brother Mahmoud’s success.
“Winning gold alongside my brother Mahmoud made the joy even greater. Everything went well, although I had the toughest draw,” he said.
“Nurkanat Azhikanov of Kazakhstan is the toughest opponent I have faced in Asia and the world. I had lost to him twice before, but in the past two months I have beaten him twice. I defeated him by a single point in the Asian Championships final, but here I faced him in the first round in what was an early final and beat him by eight points.
“Then I defeated an opponent from the Philippines in the second round before beating Uzbekistan’s Davut Nazymradov 4-3 in the final match of the Men’s Kumite -75kg.”
Looking ahead, Nemati said he will take a short break before returning to training for the World Cup in December.
“For now, I am resting after the Asian Games, but I will resume training soon and prepare for the World Cup in December,” he said.
“Two years ago, I won the silver medal, and I hope that this time I can finish with the gold. There is also the Riyadh Indoor Games, which will be held toward the end of December. These are my plans for 2026, and I will follow the competition calendar for 2027 as well,” Nemati concluded.
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