Dinçel wins gold in seniors’ taekwondo

RIYADH

Turkish athlete Merve Dinçel has won a gold medal at the World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships held in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.

The Turkish Taekwondo Federation tweeted that Dinçel beat Alma Perez Parrado from Spain in the women’s 53 kg final to become the world champion.

The 22-year-old athlete eliminated her opponent with a 3-0 golden point round victory, receiving 40 Olympic points.

Russia’s Tatiana Minina and Margarita Alieva won bronze medals in the same category.

Russia finished the first-ever taekwondo women’s championships in Saudi Arabia with two gold medals, while Turkey, the United Kingdom, Iran, Korea, Brazil and Côte d’Ivoire secured one gold medal.

The tournament ended on Nov. 27.

Dinçel, an Ankara’s Mamak Municipality athlete, achieved a gold medal by beating her opponents at the Multi European Games held in Bulgaria this summer.

She is expected to represent Turkey in the 2022 World Taekwondo Championship which is set to be held in the South Korean city of Goyang between April 22 and April 24.