SINGAPORE, Aug. 16 (Mehr News Agency) -- Iran taekwondo athlete Kaveh Rezaei defeated Nursultan Mamayev from Kazakhstan and claimed the gold medal of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games on Monday.

The Persian -55 kg class defeated the Kazakh 4-2 and seized Iran's first gold medal in the tournament.

"I feel a sense of happiness for winning the gold medal. My medal belongs to all Iranian people," Kaveh Rezaei said.

"I'm proud of my boys in the tournament. I've to say taekwondo has replaced wrestling as Iran's first sport," Iran taekwondo coach Fariborz Askari said.

The 2010 Youth Olympic Games has brought together 3,600 athletes ages 14 to 18 from 204 countries competing in 26 sports.

... Payvand News - 08/16/10 ... --