Taekwondo: Tunisian Moataz Aifaoui wins bronze in the +80kg category at the Paris Grand Prix
Tunisian athlete Moataz Aifaoui secured the bronze medal in the over 80kg category at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Paris on Friday, October 9, 2026, according to La Presse de Tunisie.
His path to the podium was far from easy. In the round of 32, he eliminated Frenchman Hugo Perrol. In the round of 16, he overcame Russian Rafael Oukaïev. In the quarterfinals, he took down Italian Simone Alessio, one of the top contenders in the category. Only Britain's Caden Cunningham stopped him in the semifinals. La Presse de Tunisie did not report the scores for these matches.
A tournament that already counts toward Los Angeles 2028
The Paris World Grand Prix, scheduled from October 9 to 11, 2026, is no mere warm-up event: according to La Presse de Tunisie, it brings together 32 athletes in each of the eight Olympic categories for both men and women, with the winner of each bracket earning 60 points toward the Olympic ranking for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. A podium finish in Paris is therefore sporting capital that translates into a head start toward the Games.
Aifaoui, who won bronze at the 2025 Under-21 World Championships according to the same source, is thus confirming his transition into the big leagues at the senior level.
Tunisia fields a high-level delegation
Aifaoui's bronze is not an isolated success. Tunisia fielded Olympic champion Firas Katoussi, 2025 Wuxi world champion Wafaa Mesghouni, and 2026 world silver medalist Chaïma Toumi in Paris, according to La Presse de Tunisie. However, the Tunisian daily expressed regret over the uncertainty surrounding Adem Selmi, currently ranked second in the world in the under 63kg category.
This talent pool did not appear out of thin air: it is the product of clubs, federations, and coaches working on the continent, far from the spotlight, who are now sending their athletes to beat the global elite on their own turf. The remainder of the tournament, on October 10 and 11, 2026, will determine if the Tunisian delegation leaves Paris with more medals.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.