CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct 4, 2024) - What a year it has been for Tunisian Taekwondo. After Firas Katoussi won the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sport at Paris 2024, the success has continued with Masghouni Wafa’s triumph at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
Wafa clinched victory in two rounds against Saghar Moradi Sheikhlar of Iran in the women’s -63kg final, and her winning mentality was evident in her performance and how she reflected on her competition in Chuncheon.
“I played with so much focus, and I really wanted to win – it’s the most important thing. When you enter the ring, you just focus and do everything to win,” Wafa said.
That was displayed to perfection against Moradi Sheikhlar, when she limited opportunities for an opponent who had scored highly in the semi-finals and a delivered a superbly measured display for victory.
“I played a simple game. I watched them and I knew their techniques, so I just played simple blocks and cover. I just played simple, and when I found points I scored. I didn’t do too much show, just stayed simple and focused,” she reflected.
After winning gold, Wafa’s immediate thoughts turned to those who have supported her on her journey, especially her family at home in Tunisia.
“I was very happy. I remembered my family, what they did for me and how they supported me so much - my sister, my team-mates, my coaches, my Federation, everyone. I was very happy because it is the start for me and opens a door to the senior competition,” Wafa said.
The role Wafa’s family in Tunisia have played in her success is clear as she speaks, and she has regularly remained in contact with them while at the Championships.
“If I needed anything they were there for me - if I needed clothes they would buy them for me, if I needed luggage they would buy for me. They didn’t let me think about anything else but the competition and the sparring. In the morning, they sent me a lot of messages, they called me. Then they let me focus. I really love them,” Wafa said.
Wafa’s sporting career began in gymnastics in 2017, and she admitted she initially found the transition to Taekwondo difficult - not that you would have known it based on her performances in Chuncheon.
“I was training gymnastics, and my coach was the owner of the gym. When I started gymnastics, he told me he had a Taekwondo gym and a Tunisian champion there. He offered me the chance, but I was loving gymnastics,” Wafa explained.
“I did four months of gymnastics and then the coach stopped. They were doing Poomsae, then one month after I started they changed to sparring.
“At first I wanted to stop playing because it was very hard, very tiring. In the Tunisian Championships I was really tired, but my coach and my family supported me, and said to me I have the quality and the heart of a champion, so I continued and year after year I achieved my goals.”
Chuncheon 2024 was Wafa’s second World Taekwondo Junior Championships, after she was beaten in the first round in Sofia, Bulgaria two years ago. However, that experience was vital for her as a young athlete, and she redoubled her focus and her belief in her ability to become a champion.
Earlier this year in senior competition at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, Wafa won the gold medal in the women’s -62kg category. She prepared extensively for the World Taekwondo Junior Championships this year, joining up with the Tunisian senior team’s camp in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris before going onto a junior camp to train for this event in Chuncheon.
While training with the senior team, she received support from Tunisian history-maker Katoussi. His guidance and achievement in Paris has provided even further encouragement for Wafa.
“It inspired me. I did all the preparation with him. We did the same thing and he also supported me. He told me I will win gold in this Championships and the future is mine. He also supported me a lot. He showed that he is Tunisian and he did it – when he can do it, I can also,” Wafa said.
“When I went to him and said good luck, you will win in the Olympics, he told me you will win in the World Championships and I will win in the Olympics and we will be happy.”
Wafa has also been able to gain a broader experience through joint training camps with athletes from other countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which has helped her to learn different styles and make improvements to her game.
“It is so helpful. When I train with senior athletes, we don’t have the same style and I correct so many things by playing with them, by re-watching my fights with them. I can see which blocks are not good and where I gave points away,” she said.
“So many coaches also helped me – I really want to thank them. They gave me the solutions to my faults to correct them. They helped me a lot. Yesterday, the coach of the senior team called me and also my junior coach helped me a lot with mental support. My friends are really helpful too.”
After an intensive few months culminating in her success at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Wafa is planning to rest for a week on her return to Tunisia, spending time with her family and going to school.
However, she remains focused on pursuing her ambitions in senior competitions, leading up to the ultimate goal of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I have more confidence in myself, and I am looking for senior World Championships. I already made a step in the seniors when I played at the African Games and won a gold medal this year, and I will hopefully look for a gold medal next year in the senior World Championships and the Los Angeles Olympics. I will work harder, and this is just the start. I will be happy, and go back to work hard and move on to the next Championships,” Wafa said.
She also knows how she can improve ahead of Los Angeles 2028.
“I think my level will be higher, I will work on my faults. I know my faults and my coach knows them. We will work on it. I will participate in so many competitions and training camps with a lot of different countries. I think I will be better and I will achieve my dream,” Wafa added.
Katoussi made history at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and with Wafa’s continued development it is an extremely positive time for Taekwondo in Tunisia.
