Mortezah Nemati expressed joy over winning the gold medal in karate at the 2026 Asian Games, with his happiness doubled by the success of his brother Mahmoud, who also won gold.
Nemati won the men's under 75 kg weight class, securing his second gold medal in recent times. In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, he shared his impressions of the triumph at the Asian Games and discussed his plans for the remainder of 2026.
Nemati noted that he is grateful for the opportunity to win the first gold medal for the Iranian delegation in Nagoya. He added that after winning the Asian Championship, the coaching staff entrusted him with participation in the national team again, and this time he managed to take gold at the Asian Games.
He also proudly spoke about the achievements of his brother Mahmoud. Nemati stated that the joint victory with his brother made the joy even greater, despite having the toughest bracket of opponents.
He named Nurkanat Ajikanov from Kazakhstan as the most difficult opponent he has faced in Asia and the world. Previously, he had lost twice to this athlete, but in the last two months, he managed to defeat him twice. In the Asian Championship final, he beat him by one point, and at the Asian Games, in the early final of the first round, he defeated him by eight points.
Subsequently, Nemati overcame an opponent from the Philippines in the second round, and in the final match of men's kumite under 75 kg, he defeated Davut Nazymradov from Uzbekistan with a score of 4:3.
Looking ahead, Nemati announced that after a short break, he will return to training ahead of the World Championship in December. He emphasized that he is currently recovering from the Asian Games but will soon resume preparation for the World Championship in December.
Nemati recalled that he won a silver medal two years ago and hopes to finish with gold this time. He also mentioned the upcoming Indoor Games in Riyadh, which will take place near the end of December. These events constitute his plans for 2026, and he intends to follow the competition calendar in 2027 as well.