Canada’s Chebli Captures Bronze Medal at 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Posted on 23 April 202623 April 2026

Ottawa, ON: Taekwondo Canada has returned from the 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with its best overall team result in recent history. These championships featured a young Canadian team selected for the event.

The team of 18 saw seven members finish amongst the Top 10 in the world, culminating with a bronze medal for Montreal’s Zineddine Chebli in the M-59 kg category. Chebli, coached by Redhouane Malek, lost in a tightly contested match to the eventual gold medalist Guillermo Manuel Cortes Labastida of Mexico. This performance continues Canada’s medal streak at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

The Canadian team featured the country’s top junior athletes. Full results from the event are outlined below:

Result	Name	Event	Hometown	Club	Home Coach
Bronze	Zineddine Chebli	M-59kg	Montreal, QC	Fighter Academy	Redhouane Malek
9^th	Mackenzie Hill	W-42kg	Burlington, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Carla Bacco
9^th	Isla Estepa	W-49kg	Brampton, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Yohan Chang
9^th	Lana Purificacion	W-68kg	Brampton, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Yohan Chang
9^th	Zach Gillis	M-55kg	Vaughan, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Yohan Chang
9^th	Nikola Samardzic	M-73kg	Ottawa, ON	Capital Taekwondo Martial Arts Academy	Radomir Samardzic
9^th	Ronan Sinclair	M+78kg	Fall River, NS	Inner Strength Taekwondo Academy	Helbert Porter
17^th	Leigha Purificacion	W-46kg	Brampton, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Yohan Chang
17^th	Mackenzie Behiels	W-55kg	Ottawa, ON	Phoenix Taekwondo Academy	George Koh
17^th	Evangeline Perez	W-63kg	Richmond, BC	Mudo Academy Martial Arts & Fitness	Susana Santa Maria
17^th	Laith Al-Sahab	M-45kg	Oakville, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Yohan Chang
17^th	Rafael Cortez	M-51kg	Pincourt, QC	Twins Taekwondo	Nicholas Petrone
17^th	Mohammed Rezki	M-68kg	Montreal, QC	Academie d’Arts Martiaux St-Leonard	Alex Naud
17^th	Leo Mazzone	M-78kg	Toronto, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Yohan Chang
33^rd	Alexa Briones	W-52kg	Slave Lake, AB	AB Taekwondo Club	Alexander Briones
33^rd	Marcus Lam	M-48kg	Toronto, ON	Black Belt World Canada	Yohan Chang
33^rd	Omar Zemzemi	M-63kg	Montreal, QC	Club de défense expert	Redhouane Malek
DSQ	Alessia Fetta	W-44kg	Laval, QC	CCMM Ultimate	Kassem Younes

The results from the World Championships in Uzbekistan were significant as stated by Taekwondo Canada High Performance Director Allan Wrigley said: “The success of our athletes and staff at the 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships has reinforced the tremendous potential within our high performance pathway. Our Junior competitors demonstrated remarkable growth, resilience, and competitive maturity on the world stage, translating their preparation into breakthrough performances.

Equally, our coaching team capitalized on this opportunity strengthening the collaborative culture that underpins our program. The progress shown throughout this event gives us great confidence in the trajectory of our emerging athletes and in the continued evolution of our high performance system.”

Of Note:
Taekwondo Canada is also pleased to recognize two referees who represented Canada during the World Championships. Referees Alissa Juman and Daniel Park were selected from amongst the best in the world to participate at this event.

About Taekwondo Canada
Taekwondo Canada is the official governing body for Taekwondo in Canada, overseeing the sport across all provinces and territories. Recognized by World Taekwondo, PATU, the International Olympic Committee, as well as the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees and Sport Canada, Taekwondo Canada is committed to excellence in the sport.

MISSION: Taekwondo Canada inspires and fosters excellence in Taekwondo, promoting health, community, and safe, accessible pathways for all participants. The organization is dedicated to supporting athletes and helping them reach their best through comprehensive development programs.

Contact:
Dave Harris
Executive Director
(519) 859-7410
[email protected]