Kurdish Karate Star Wins Gold at Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh
Kurdish karateka Atousa Golshadnezhad won gold in the -61kg category at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, letting Iran earn it's seventh medal and the karate team's third gold.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdish Karateka Atousa Golshadnezhad secured the gold medal in the under-61kg category at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, marking the national karate team’s third gold and the Iranian delegation’s seventh overall.
Competing at the Bin Faisal Stadium inside Malaz Hall, Golshadnezhad delivered an impressive sequence of victories. After receiving a bye in the opening round, she overpowered Niger’s Nouma Mohamed 9–1 in her first match. She advanced to the semifinals, where she defeated her Saudi opponent 10–2, earning her place in the final.
In the decisive bout, Golshadnezhad faced Tunisia’s Wafa Mahjoub and claimed an 8–4 victory, securing another major achievement.
Born on Jun. 22, 2003, in Kurdish Kermanshah provenance, Golshadnezhad began her karate journey at the age of six. A student of Physical Education, she entered the national spotlight early: at just 14, she was invited to join Iran’s National Karate Team. She competes in the Kumite discipline in the -61kg division.
Golshadnezhad grew up in Bisotun, a town in Harsin County in Kermanshah Province, and has credited her supportive parents for ensuring she faced no financial difficulties throughout her career.
Golshadnezhad’s career gained momentum in 2017 when she was first called up to the Iranian National Youth Team at age 14 — a development she later described as a turning point in her sporting life. She continued to progress through higher age categories and, in 2021, won her first international gold medal at the Asian U21 Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
In 2022, she represented Iran at the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan at age 19, gaining experience despite not medaling at that event. A year later, she returned stronger, winning gold in the -61kg category at the Asian Championships in Malacca, Malaysia.
Her latest victory at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh adds to her growing list of achievements and further establishes her as one of Kurds’ emerging stars in karate.
