Huge success in sport: the first Hungarian world champion!

Great success for Hungary: here is the first Hungarian taekwondo world champion! Salim Omar Gergely won the world title in Guadalajara, Mexico, as the 19-year-old competing in Hungarian colours triumphed in the 54 kg category.

Taekwondo world champion Salim Omar Gergely won the world title in Guadalajara, Mexico, the 19-year-old competing in Hungarian colours triumphed in the 54 kg category, szmo.hu reports. According to the International Federation (WT), Salim Omar Gergely won his category with five victories and became the first Hungarian world champion in the Korean sport.

Lives in Los Angeles but wears Hungarian colors

The taekwondo player lives and trains in Los Angeles but wears the club colours of MTK. In the final, which took place on Sunday morning Hungarian time, he beat the representative of the World Cup hosts, Cesar Rodriguez. He won the competition 2-0, winning the first two minutes 14-3 and the second round 11-9. Before that, he had beaten Malaysia (2-0), Greece (2-0), Philippines (2-1) and then Taiwan in the semi-finals.

Already had an European title

Salim Omar Gergely, who finished fifth in the 58 kg category at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, can claim to be the first Hungarian world champion in the sport. He also won Hungary’s first European title in this combat sport in 2021 and defended his title this spring in the 54 kg category.