TEHRAN, Jan. 26 (MNA) – Iranian karatekas grabbed two gold and one bronze in the 2020 Karate 1-Premier League in Paris.

Bahman Asgari, world No 1 in men’s -75kg, won the gold medal after overpowering Logan Da Costa from the host country on Sunday at the Stadium Pierre de Coubertin as Dnylson Jacquet. With the gold medal, Asgari retained his top spot in the world ranking, securing a spot in the 2020 Olympics.

Hamideh Abbasali posing with the gold medal

Hamideh Abbasali, the captain of Iranian women’s team, clinched the title of +68kg with a 6-3 victory over Turkey’s Meltem Hocaoglu Akyol in the final bout.

And the only bronze was gained by Saleh Abazari in men’s +84kg.

The Karate 1-Premier League of 2020 started on Friday in Paris with more than 700 competitors from 92 countries in participation. Points gained in the event will influence the practitioners’ ranking and ultimately their qualification for the 2020 Olympics.

Karate is due to make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. There will be eight karate gold medals up for grabs at Tokyo - men's kata, women's kata and three different weight classes for both men's and women's kumite events.

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