Paris Wrap: 113 Athletes from 30 Countries, Gold Shared by Seven Nations
The Paris 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix concluded its finals on 8 October at the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois, France. A total of 113 athletes from 30 countries entered the event across 10 weight categories. Gold medals were shared among seven different nations, with Brazil, Mexico and Russia each winning more than once.
Finals day opened with the W K44 -47kg category. The home crowd at Levallois-Perret hoped for a French gold, but Paris 2024 bronze medallist Zakia Khudadadi could not deliver it - Mexico's Claudia Romero swept the bout in two rounds to add another title to her record, following her Roma Grand Prix gold earlier in the season.
The Finals: All Ten Categories Decided
Women's Categories
The W K44 -52kg final was a repeat of the Roma Grand Prix and European Championships finals. Georgia's Ana Japaridze faced Turkiye's two-time Paralympic medallist Meryem Betul Cavdar once again, and Japaridze came out on top 2-1 in a contest that remained undecided until the final second of the last round.
The W K44 -57kg final was an all-Brazilian affair, with Silvana Mayara Cardoso Fernandes beating Roma silver medallist Maria Eduarda Machado Stumpf 12-6, 22-0 to claim her third consecutive Grand Prix gold.
In the W K44 -65kg final, Brazil's reigning Paralympic champion Ana Carolina Silva de Moura defeated home favourite and Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallist Djelika Diallo, adding another gold for Brazil.
Russia's Elena Savinskaia won the W K44 +65kg final against Greece's European silver medallist Eleni Papastamatopoulou, upgrading her Roma 2026 silver into Paris gold.
Men's Categories
In the M K44 -58kg final, Israel's Paralympic champion Asaf Yasur ended Azerbaijan's Sabir Zeynalov run of titles in Rome and Muju, clinching gold in two rounds for his first Grand Prix gold of the season.
The M K44 -63kg final saw Turkiye's Paralympic champion Mahmut Bozteke overcome Israel's Adnan Milad 2-0, taking his third Grand Prix gold after topping the podium in both Rome and Muju.
In the M K44 -70kg final, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Juan Diego Garcia Lopez of Mexico beat Brazil's Valter Sedano Delfino de Oliveira 2-0 to add to his Muju title and claim Mexico's second gold of the evening.
Kazakhstan's Nurlan Dombayev prevented Brazil from taking a third gold of the evening, overcoming Joel Gomes Da Silva in the M K44 -80kg final - a title that sits alongside his silver in Muju and bronze in Rome.
The night ended with a repeat of the Muju and Paris 2024 Paralympic finals in the M K44 +80kg, as Russia's Aliaskhab Ramazanov and Great Britain's Matt Bush traded blows until the final seconds of the third round. Ramazanov eventually came out on top 4-6, 10-8, 8-5 to claim a consecutive Grand Prix gold and Russia's second of the competition.
A Historic First: Bahrain's Maiden World Para Taekwondo Medal
The M K44 -63kg category also produced a milestone. Ebrahim Samqa lost to eventual champion Mahmut Bozteke in the semifinals, but the medal he took home was Bahrain's first ever in a World Para Taekwondo event. For a country still building its competitive system, breakthroughs of this kind often do more to drive local investment in the sport than any single result.
What Category Granularity Means for Gear Stocking
For dojangs and distributors, the event offers a useful purchasing reference. Ten categories spanning multiple weight bands from -47kg to +80kg, split across men's and women's draws, mean a single team entering several categories needs chest protectors, head guards, hand protectors, shin guards and foot protectors across different size bands. Whether a supplier can deliver the full size range in one order directly affects one-stop purchasing efficiency for teams and dojangs.
Take MOOTO's competition protector line as an example: the chest protector comes in a red/blue dual-use version, which reduces the number of spare items a team needs when entering as a squad or across categories, while hand, shin and foot protectors are sized by weight band so distributors can stock by category. For the wider buying logic, see our complete guide to taekwondo protector selection.
For B2B buyers, category granularity translates into a size-range stocking list - the more categories a squad enters, the greater the value of carrying complete size bands.
Next Up: The Paris Grand Prix Opens Today
World Taekwondo noted in its post-event report that Paris will immediately host three days of competition at the third World Taekwondo Grand Prix of the year, opening with the W +67kg, M -58kg and M +80kg categories. For anyone tracking the season, it is a window onto how the two competition streams are scheduled within a single year. Coverage of these events is collected on our tournament news category page, alongside the earlier Muju Grand Prix report.
FAQ
Q1.Where was the Paris 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix held?+
At the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois, on the western edge of Paris, France.
Q2.How many athletes took part?+
113 athletes from 30 countries, competing across 10 weight categories.
Q3.Which country won the most gold medals?+
Gold was shared among seven nations, with Brazil, Mexico and Russia each winning more than once.
Q4.Is there more competition coming?+
Yes. The Paris Grand Prix runs from 9 to 11 October, opening with the W +67kg, M -58kg and M +80kg categories.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- →The Paris 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix concluded on 8 October with 113 athletes from 30 countries across 10 categories.
- →Gold was shared by seven nations, with Brazil, Mexico and Russia each taking multiple titles.
- →Bahrain's Ebrahim Samqa claimed his country's first World Para Taekwondo medal in M K44 -63kg.
- →The Paris Grand Prix opens next, starting with W +67kg, M -58kg and M +80kg.
- →B2B takeaway: category and weight-band granularity makes complete size-range stocking essential.
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