KABUL - Afghanistan has won a gold medal at the First Asian Martial Arts Games in Thailand.

Nissar Ahmad Bahawi, 24, won the gold in Taekwondo today in Bangkok.

Three other medals in Taekwondo have been won this week including one silver and two bronzes.

One of the bronze medals was won by a young girl, twenty-year-old Shafiqa Kargar.

Afghanistan has won two other bronze medals this week at the games.

Speaking to UNAMA from Bangkok, Tabish Forugh, a spokesman with Team Afghanistan said: “We hope to bring more honours for Afghanistan for our country to achieve national unity through sport.”

The Afghan team is made up of forty-five sports men and women and trainers.

The head of the team is Ms Frestha Farah, the deputy of the Afghan National Olympic Committee.

“The quality was very high with forty-five Asian countries participating with famous sportspeople,” said Mr Forugh.

In 2007, Nissar Bahawi, today’s gold medal winner, became the world’s number two champion in Taekwondo competing at the World Champion Beijing 2007 competition, where he beat rivals from Russia, America, Kuwait, China, Lebanon and Iran.

He’s been competing in the sport since 1995.

Taekwondo is one of Afghanistan’s most popular sports with more than 30,000 competitors across the country.

The competition in Thailand ends on 9 August and there are hopes for more medal wins.

By Nilab Mobarez, UNAMA