The Paris 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix came to a close on 11 October at the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois, France. The final two titles of the week went to China's Jingyue Ma in the women's -49kg and Brazil's Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes in the men's -80kg, both of them first-time Grand Prix champions. Across three days of competition the Paris stop awarded eight gold medals, shared by six nations.
Final day wrap: eight golds decided, six nations on top
According to official World Taekwondo (WT) reports, eight kyorugi weight categories were contested in Paris. Iran and Brazil took two golds each, while Great Britain, Korea, Hungary and China claimed one apiece. Paris was the last stop of the Grand Prix series before the finals: the World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix Final takes place on 27 November, and the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final follows in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 28-29 November.
The level of the finals was consistently high, with Olympic medallists, world champions and continental champions contesting most of the eight title bouts. Two trends stood out: head kicks combined with sustained attacking sequences were used repeatedly, and Gam-jeom penalties directly changed the outcome of several rounds, none more clearly than the opening round of the men's -80kg final.
W -49kg: Ma holds her lead to take a first Grand Prix title
In the women's -49kg final, China's Jingyue Ma faced Korea's Hyang Gi Kim. Kim took the opening round after it finished 2-2, and Ma levelled the match by taking the second 4-4, forcing a decider. Ma landed a head kick early in the third round to open a 3-0 lead, and although Kim pressed forward in search of a way back, the Chinese athlete held firm to close out her first-ever Grand Prix gold.
Ma had secured her place in the final with a 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei's Chieh-ling Wang, a two-time junior world champion who claimed her first Grand Prix medal with bronze after beating Rome champion Alisa Angelova of Russia in the quarter-finals. In the other semi-final, Kim came through a three-round contest against European champion Kamilah Salim of Hungary.
M -80kg: Rodrigues Fernandes completes his Grand Prix set
The men's -80kg final pitted Brazil's Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes, the reigning world champion and 2025 World Taekwondo Male Athlete of the Year, against Uzbekistan's Jasurbek Jaysunov. Jaysunov built a 9-2 lead in the opening round, but the Brazilian fought back with two head kicks to close to 9-8, and a late Gam-jeom against Jaysunov handed Rodrigues Fernandes the round 10-9. He then edged the second round 4-2 to seal gold. The win completed his set of Grand Prix medals this season - silver in Rome, bronze in Muju and now gold in Paris - and gave him a maiden Grand Prix title.
Rodrigues Fernandes had booked his place in the final with a two-round victory over USA's Victor Rodrigues, who celebrated his first Grand Prix medal with bronze after beating Serbia's European champion Stefan Takov in the quarter-finals. On the other side of the draw, Jaysunov came through two tense rounds against Morocco's Haitam Zarhouti 8-6 and 3-2; Zarhouti also secured his first Grand Prix medal, having earlier beaten Muju champion Raman Turavinau of Belarus.
Day 2 review: Brazil, Korea and Hungary take gold
Day 2 on 10 October decided the women's -57kg, men's -68kg and women's -67kg titles, won respectively by athletes from Brazil, Korea and Hungary. All three finals featured a swing in momentum between rounds, placing a premium on conditioning and in-bout adjustment.
W -57kg: Pacheco makes it three in a row
Brazil's Maria Clara Pacheco defeated Jordan's Fadia Khirfan 5-2, 6-4 to claim a third consecutive Grand Prix gold after Roma and Muju. Khirfan took silver, her first Grand Prix medal. Pacheco had been equally commanding in the semi-finals, beating Kazakhstan's Mariya Sevostyanova 14-3, 16-5; Sevostyanova also claimed her first Grand Prix medal with bronze. Khirfan came through two rounds against USA's Faith Dillon, who took the other bronze, and Pacheco had earlier eliminated Iran's Olympic silver medallist Nahid Kiyanichandeh in the quarter-finals.
M -68kg: Mun goes back-to-back
Korea's Jinho Mun made it back-to-back Grand Prix titles in the men's -68kg, following his maiden triumph on home soil in Muju. He beat Uzbekistan's Najmiddin Kosimkhojiev, the reigning -74kg world champion, edging a frantic opening round 14-12 after breaking clear from 4-4 to 8-4, then closing out the second 10-0. An all-Korean semi-final had pitted Mun against 2019 world champion Jun Jang, who added a 13th Grand Prix medal to his collection with bronze. In the other semi-final Kosimkhojiev beat Jordan's Olympic silver medallist Zaid Kareem in two rounds; Kareem claimed his fifth Grand Prix medal.
W -67kg: Marton powers to a 26-5 comeback
Hungary's Viviana Marton, the reigning Olympic champion, faced Cote d'Ivoire's Ruth Gbagbi in the women's -67kg final. Gbagbi closed out the opening round 10-5, but Marton responded to take the second 10-8 and force a decider. The Hungarian then raced into an 11-0 lead and powered to a 26-5 victory, adding Paris gold to her triumph in Rome. Marton had won her semi-final in two rounds against Uzbekistan's Ozoda Sobirjonova, who claimed her first Grand Prix Series medal with bronze after knocking out Muju champion Jiani Xing of China. In the other semi-final Gbagbi defeated Greece's European champion Styliani Marentaki in two rounds.
Kyorugi gear notes from the Paris court: protectors and competition dobok
At Grand Prix level, scoring depends on the electronic protector system, so the fit of the protectors, their correct positioning and the condition of the sensors all affect how consistently points are registered. Several finals in Paris were decided by Gam-jeom calls, and in the opening round of the men's -80kg final such a call changed which athlete took the round. For dojangs and clubs, three items matter most when preparing for a season: certification, coverage of the full size range by weight division, and sensor compatibility.
The other variable is the competition dobok. Head kicks and sustained attacking sequences were used heavily in the Paris finals, which places demands on fabric weight, breathability and fit: too light a fabric can affect durability and how the athlete looks to the referees, while too heavy a fabric can compromise heat dissipation and speed. The MOOTO competition dobok line separates fabric weights and constructions by training and competition use; the differences are explained in our comparison of the EXTERA 6 and MTX 2.
For buyers, the way events are split by division and weight category means protectors need to be stocked across a complete size run. Our buying guide to protectors and our pre-competition checklist for clubs cover the logic in detail. The Day 1 report from Paris is also available, and past tournament coverage can be browsed in the Tournament News section. For bulk purchasing and facility fit-out, specifications and commercial options are available through the official enquiry channel.
Paris awarded eight gold medals across three days, shared by Iran, Brazil, Great Britain, Korea, Hungary and China, with Iran and Brazil taking two each.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- →The Paris 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix concluded on 11 October with eight kyorugi titles decided over three days.
- →Final day: China's Jingyue Ma won W -49kg and Brazil's Rodrigues Fernandes won M -80kg, both first-time Grand Prix champions.
- →Day 2: Pacheco (BRA) made it three in a row at W -57kg, Mun (KOR) went back-to-back at M -68kg, and Marton (HUN) fought back to take W -67kg.
- →The eight golds were shared by six nations: Iran and Brazil took two each, with one apiece for Great Britain, Korea, Hungary and China.
- →B2B note: division-level detail means protectors should be stocked across a full size run, and dobok fabric weight should be matched to training or competition use.
MTX 2 Hand Protector
MTX 是为全球所有跆拳道运动员的基础训练及比赛提升而设计的系列。不仅品质优良，还承诺合理价格，使每位跆拳道运动员都能无负担地佩戴使用。
FAQ
Q1.When did the Paris 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix finish?+
Competition ended on 11 October 2026 at the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois, France. The event opened on 8 October, with the para competition held first on 8 October.
Q2.How many gold medals were awarded and which nations won them?+
Eight kyorugi titles were decided across three days, shared by Iran, Brazil, Great Britain, Korea, Hungary and China. Iran and Brazil took two golds each.
Q3.Who won on the final day?+
China's Jingyue Ma won W -49kg and Brazil's Rodrigues Fernandes won M -80kg. Both claimed their first Grand Prix gold.
Q4.What comes next on the calendar?+
The World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix Final is on 27 November, followed by the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 28-29 November.
