Côte d’Ivoire’s Cheick Sallah Cissé claims World Taekwondo Championships

Cheick Sallah Cissé, the Ivorian who made a name for himself and his country seven years ago in Rio Olympics, won Sunday a World Taekwondo Championships title in the men’s over-87 kilograms division.

Cisse overcame defending champion Carlos Sansores of Mexico, with 2-1 victories in both rounds.

In both rounds, he built a 2-0 lead before conceding a point late in the round and closing out the victory.

Cisse headed to the semifinals trashing Uzbekistan’s Marat Mavlonov, a three-round 3-0, 5-8, 2-0 win against Gabon’s London 2012 silver medallist Anthony Obame, and a 10-1, 9-3 victory over Morocco’s Ayoub Bassel.

In the semi-final, he axed Croatia’s Paško Božić in an 8-6 and 5-1 triumph. Prior to winning the gold medal, the Ivorian athlete was elected to the World Taekwondo Athletes’ Committee, on Saturday.

“It is a source of pride for us to know that defending the rights and interests of athletes around the world is the responsibility of one of our own,” Taekwondo association of the West African country said in a statement.