PARIS, France (Oct. 11, 2026) – China and Brazil claimed the final gold medals at the Paris 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix, as competition concluded in the W -49kg and M -80kg.China’s Jingyue Ma turned Muju bronze into Paris gold in the W -49kg, while Brazil’s Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes completed his collection of Grand Prix medals this year with M -80kg gold in Paris, following silver in Rome and bronze in Muju. Both celebrated their maiden Grand Prix titles.
W -49kgMa overcame Korea’s Hyang Gi Kim in the final to earn her first-ever Grand Prix gold.The pair traded two tightly contested rounds, with Kim taking the opener after it finished 2-2 before Ma claimed the second at 4-4 to force a decider.Ma came out firing in the third, landing a head kick to establish an early 3-0 lead. Kim pressed forward in search of a way back, but Ma held firm under pressure, protecting her advantage as the tense contest approached its conclusion.Ma had secured her place in the final by overcoming Chinese Taipei’s Chieh-ling Wang 2-0 in another close contest.Wang, a two-time junior world champion, celebrated her first Grand Prix medal with bronze. Her run included a quarter-final victory over Rome champion Alisa Angelova of Russia.The other semi-final saw Kim come through a dramatic three-round contest with European champion Kamilah Salim of Hungary.
M -80kgRodrigues Fernandes, the reigning world champion and 2025 World Taekwondo Male Athlete of the Year, overcame Uzbekistan’s Jasurbek Jaysunov in the final to finish his campaign in the French capital on top of the podium.Jaysunov made a strong start to the final, landing a series of head kicks to build a 9-2 lead. Rodrigues Fernandes fought back with two head kicks of his own to close the gap to 9-8, before a late Gam-jeom against Jaysunov saw the Brazilian take the opening round 10-9.Rodrigues Fernandes struck first in the second, but Jaysunov quickly responded to level at 2-2. The Brazilian edged ahead again at 4-2, then held firm under pressure to deny his opponent a way back and seal gold.Rodrigues Fernandes had booked his place in the final with a two-round victory over USA’s Victor Rodrigues.The American nevertheless celebrated his first Grand Prix medal with bronze, having beaten Serbia’s reigning -74kg European champion Stefan Takov in the quarter-finals.On the other side of the draw, Jaysunov came through two tense rounds against Morocco’s Haitam Zarhouti, winning 8-6 and 3-2. Zarhouti, roared on by the crowd, secured his first Grand Prix medal with bronze after a run that included victory over Muju champion Raman Turavinau of Belarus.Following the conclusion of competition, awards were presented to Floramie Navales (PHI) as the Best Female Referee and Felipe Saula De Moraes (BRA) as the Best Male Referee.The Astana 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final is set to take place in Kazakhstan from 28-29 November, following the World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix Final held on 27 November.
Text & Photo Credits: Paris Taekwondo Grand Prix
Video Credits: ICARUS Sports