Gold medals went to Iran and Vietnam in the female categories, while Korea won both golds up for grabs in the male divisions in the first matches of Day 1 of the 2016 WTF World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Burnaby.
The championships, which WTF President Chungwon Choue called "a road map to Tokyo 2020," features athletes aged 15-17. Burnaby’s Bill Copeland Sports Centre was packed with fans, athletes and dignitaries, and with many nations fielding vocal, 20-person teams, the event rocked to a noisy aural backdrop.
With 846 competitors and 458 officials registered, representing 102 countries, Burnaby 2016 is the biggest World Juniors ever.
On the first day of the five-day competition, the lightest weight divisions were contested, with medals available in the Female -42kg, Female -44kg, Male -45kg and Male -48kg categories.
The finals saw Iran's Mobina Nejad Katesari defeat Spain's Irene Laguna Perez in the female 42kg; in 44kg, Vietnam's Thi Kim Ngan won out over Costa Rica's Maria Calderon.
On the male side, Korea's Jun-Seo Bae won the 45kg division title, beating Chinese Taipei's Cheng-Chun Chang. In 48kg, Jae-Hee Mok of Korea defeated Thailand's Saran Tangchatkaew.
The World Taekwondo junior championships continue through Sunday, with matches beginning at 9 a.m. each day.
The closing ceremony is slated for 9 p.m. on Nov. 20.
For a complete schedule and ticket info, visit burnabyjuniorchampionships.com.
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