Moroccan Taekwondo Player Wins Bronze Medal at International Competition in China

Rabat – Moroccan Taekwondo player Achraf Mahboubi won a bronze medal in the Taekwondo Grand Slam tournament. Mahboubi competes in the -80kg category.

The tournament took place in Wuxi, eastern China, from November 1 to November 3. It is part of a series of competitions held throughout the year that serve as qualifiers for the 2020 Taekwondo World Championships in Japan.

The Moroccan athlete won in the first two fights against Chinese athletes. Mahboubi also beat a Japanese fighter in the quarter finals before losing in a close fight to a South Korean athlete in the semi finals.

The bronze medal will allow Mahboubi to take part in the Grand Slam finals in December, with a cash prize of $70,000 for the winners, and $20,000 and $10,000 for those in second and third places respectively.

More than 300 athletes from all continents participated in the competition at Wuxi. The Moroccan squad was composed of 10 athletes.

Mahboubi is one of the most prominent Moroccan Taekwondo fighters. The 19-year-old athlete won a silver medal in the 12th African Games that took place in Rabat between August 19 and 31, 2019.

The young athlete also won a bronze medal in the Rome Grand Slam tournament in June 2019. The medal was Morocco’s first in this series of competitions since its launch in 2013. During the competition, Mahboubi lost in the semi finals to the Russian athlete, Khramtcov Maksim, the world’s number one in the -80kg division.

Mahboubi is ranked 63rd worldwide in his category but is climbing steadily with his consistent international performances.