Shahzeb wins first Asian taekwondo silver medal for Pakistan

LAHORE: Shahzeb Khan on Friday created history when he became the first taekwondoka of the country to win silver medal in the Asian Taekwondo Championship in Vietnam. Shahzeb went down to Saudi Arabia’s Hamdi Riyad after giving his rival tough time in the -54 kilogramme weight category final. Shahzeb had a 1-0 lead in the first round.

In the second round, a tough competition was seen between the two fighters. Hamdi Riyad won it 9-8 after a pulsating fight. In the third and decisive round, the referee gave controversial decisions against Pakistan as the Saudi Arabia’s fighter won it 7-3 to ensure gold medal. Meanwhile in the -87 kg category, Pakistan’s Ihtshamul Haque was defeated by India’s Rishabh 2-1.