The Moroccan Women’s Taekwondo selection finished runner-up on November 14 in the team event at the 2023 Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series, underway in the Korean city of Goyang (November 14-16).
The Moroccan selection finished second in the championship following its final match against host South Korea (2-0) in favor of the South Korean selection.
The Moroccan women’s selection, which reached the final at the expense of Côte d’Ivoire in the quarters (2-0) and Mexico in the semifinals (2-1), includes Meriem Khallal, Safia Saleh, Fatima-Zahra Abou Faris, and Omaima Boumah.
In the men’s category, Morocco is represented by Abdelhamid Abdouni, Khaled Daoudi, Ayoub Yakini, and Soufiane Asssabi. The national selections, who are also taking part in the co-ed team competitions, are coached by Badr Smaili and Faouzi Rachidi.
It should be recalled that the Moroccan para-taekwondo selection snatched one gold and four bronze medals at the World Taekwondo Federation’s (WTF) President’s Cup competitions, held in Amman, Jordan, between November 10 and 12.
Champion Nawal Al-Arif won the gold medal (-47 kg category/K44), while the bronze went to Rahima Arbouh (-65 kg category/K44), Zakaria Nejjari (-58 kg category/K44), Ayoub Adouich (-63 kg category/K44), and Rachid Ismaili Alaoui (-70 kg category/K44).
The Moroccan selection, coached by national coaches Aziz Ismaili and Ali Amsnaou, finished third in the overall women’s selection rankings.
Champion Rahima Arbouh was also awarded the Spirit of Combativeness Prize.