Upsets and historic milestones highlight men’s action at Rome Taekwondo Grand Prix

Spain’s Juan Antonio Milán Cánovas produced the biggest surprise of the Rome Taekwondo Grand Prix, while athletes from Türkiye, Russia and Italy also claimed gold medals during four days of high-level competition in the Italian capital.

The tournament, which featured Olympic weight categories, brought together many of the world’s leading taekwondo athletes at the Foro Italico.

The standout result came in the men’s -80kg division, where Spain’s Cánovas defied the odds to capture gold. Entering the competition as the 27th seed, he defeated reigning world champion Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes of Brazil in the final after earlier overcoming American CJ Nickolas in a dramatic semi-final.

In the men’s -68kg category, Türkiye’s Berkay Erer continued his impressive form by securing the title. The recently crowned European champion edged Russia’s Amir Vykov in a closely contested final to add another major medal to his growing collection.

The division also produced a historic achievement for Africa. Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Maiga claimed bronze, becoming the first athlete from his country to win a World Taekwondo Grand Prix medal and the first African competitor to reach the podium in the men’s -68kg category. His run included a victory over world champion Banlung Tubtimdang of Thailand.

The heavyweight men’s +80kg competition delivered one of the tournament’s most dramatic finals. Russia’s Rafail Aiukaev fought back from a significant deficit to defeat Italy’s two-time world champion Simone Alessio and claim gold.

Aiukaev’s route to the title included a win over Uzbekistan’s Marat Mavlonov, while Alessio reached the final after defeating two-time world champion Kang Sang-hyun of Korea. Several leading contenders, including Britain’s Paris 2024 silver medallist Caden Cunningham, Russia’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Vladislav Larin and Egypt’s Seif Eissa, exited before the medal rounds.

The host nation had reason to celebrate on the final day as Olympic champion Vito Dell’Aquila captured the men’s -58kg title. Backed by a passionate home crowd, the Italian star overcame Korea’s world champion Seo Eun-su in a thrilling three-round final to secure his first Grand Prix gold medal on home soil.

The event concluded with celebrations marking 60 years of taekwondo in Italy, with World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue paying tribute to the pioneers who helped establish the sport in the country.

Men’s Grand Prix champions

-58kg: Vito Dell’Aquila (Italy)

-68kg: Berkay Erer (Türkiye)

-80kg: Juan Antonio Milán Cánovas (Spain)

+80kg: Rafail Aiukaev (Russia)