WUXI, China - Chinese athletes made a strong medal-winning debut at the World Taekwondo Championships on Monday, with Xiang Qizhang claiming silver in the men's 80kg, while Wang Shiyi and Mu Wenzhe earned bronze in the women's 46kg and +73kg categories, respectively.
After China had collected a bronze on each of the previous three days, all three Chinese athletes born after 2000 and making their World Championships debut advanced to the semifinals in the day's event.
In the men's 80kg final, 21-year-old Xiang faced Brazil's Henrique Rodrigues Fernandes. In an early exchange, Rodrigues Fernandes landed a clean side kick to take the first round 2-1. The second round was a tactical battle, ending 0-0 as both struggled to score. Rodrigues Fernandes ultimately prevailed by points advantage to claim gold, while Xiang secured China's first silver medal of the tournament. Individual Neutral Athlete Artem Mytarev and South Korea's Seo Geon-woo shared the bronze.
"It's a pity. I think I performed well in the earlier matches, but not as well in the final. My mentality still needs improvement," Xiang said, attributing his loss to nerves and admitting he might have hesitated under pressure.
Despite the defeat, he acknowledged that he had gained valuable experience from his World Championships debut. "I had watched videos of my opponents and thought they were very strong, but after facing them, I realized my skills can hold up internationally and it wasn't as daunting as I had imagined," he added.
Another Chinese debutant, Wang, born in 2005, advanced to the semifinals in the women's 46kg category but fell 2-0 to eventual champion, Individual Neutral Athlete Milana Bekulova, earning China's fourth bronze of the tournament. Türkiye's Emine Gogebakan claimed silver, while Kazakhstan's Aidana Kumartayeva took bronze.
After Wang's bronze, Mu, 22, advanced to the semifinals in the women's +73kg, where she lost 2-1 to Uzbekistan's Svetlana Osipova, securing China's fifth bronze medal. Türkiye's Nafia Kus Aydin won gold, Osipova took silver, and Great Britain's Lauren Williams shared the other bronze.
The championships continue on Tuesday with finals in the men's 68kg and women's 67kg divisions.
