The first medals have been awarded at the third World Taekwondo Beach Championship in Egypt ©World Taekwondo

Freestyle poomsae exponents were the first to mount the podium on the opening day of the World Taekwondo Beach Championship at Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sahl Hasheesh.

Spain’s Miguel Barreiro Estevez claimed victory in the individual male over-17 category with an average of 6.566 points, with the other medals going to Thai athletes.

Thanaphat Bompenthomnumsuk earned silver with 6.533 points, ahead of Chawalit Khopana, who scored 6.499.

The individual women’s over-17 title went to Thailand’s Kotchawan Chomchuen, who beat Marina Popova of Russia in the final, 5.133 points to 3.133.

In the under-17 pairs final, Sippakorn Wetchakornpatiwong and N Pitinanon held off the challenge of fellow Thai athletes Worapol Sianglio and K Jareonyin to claim gold, by 6.500 to 6.099 points, with bronze going to home pairing A Hussein and F Mohamed.

In the recognised poomsae contest, tomorrow’s individual male under-17 final is set to be contested between home athlete Aly Mohamed and Thailand’s Wetchakornpatiwong.

Mohamed, seeded to the semi-final, defeated fellow Egyptian Abdalla Ghoneim, winner of his match against Hungary’s Mark Bozoki.

The Thai athlete had won his quarter-final against Morocco’s Omar Kostit before beating the seeded Saoud Maatugh of Libya.

The individual female under-17 final is scheduled to feature Morocco’s Ikhlass El Hayek, who beat compatriot Jihane Sbai Tanji, and home athlete Shahd Mohamed, who defeated Spain’s seeded Lucia Costas Fernandez in her semi-final.

The third World Taekwondo Beach Championship, being held in the Red Sea resort  of Sahl Hasheesh, has attracted some of the world's finest young exponents of the sport ©World Taekwondo
The third World Taekwondo Beach Championship, being held in the Red Sea resort of Sahl Hasheesh, has attracted some of the world's finest young exponents of the sport ©World Taekwondo

The individual male under-30 final will be between Germany’s Shajan Sepanlou, who beat Thailand’s freestyle silver medallist Khopana, and Sune Ostli of Norway, a winner over Libya’s Ahmed Ibrahim Ali.

In the individual women’s under-30 final Thailand’s Ornawee Srisahakit, winner against Spain’s Sophie Gonzalez Drescher, meets Norway’s Tuva Hatlen Kjodnes, who beat Inas Atta Abdulkhaleq of Iraq.

The individual men’s over-30 final will see home athlete Abdelfattah Metwally against Iraq’s Aras Omer Mohammed Ali, after they had earned respective wins over Ali Adnan Almudali and Zuhair Hasan a Abu Alraha, both of Saudi Arabia.

In the individual women’s over-30 final gold is destined for either Bahrain’s Fajar Al-Binali, who beat Iceland’s Maria Gudrun Sveinbjornsdottir, or Baerbel Reiner of Germany, who earned a win over Russia’s Popova.

In recognised poomsae pairs, the under-17 finalists will be S Sirisinru and N Pitinanon of Thailand and their compatriots Sianglio and S Chuphon.

The under-30 pairs final will see Thailand’s P Sengmuean and P Phaisanki meet Norway’s Ostli and Kjodnes.

In recognised poomsae team competition, the under-17  men’s final will see Egypt’s A Ghoneim, E Wardany and A Mohamed meet Thailand’s  Wetchakornpatiwong,  Sianglo and  Sirisinru.

Morocco’s  I El Hayek, H Saadi and A El Assal will face home team  S Dabbur, T Ahmed Ham and S Mohamed in the women’s under-17 final.

In the men’s over-17 final Egypt’s A Hesham, N Gendy and A Fawzy will face Thailand’s T Bompentho, C Khopana and P Sengmuean.