Armin Hadipour, right, has twice won a medal at the World Championships ©Getty Images

Two-time World Taekwondo Championships medallist Armin Hadipour has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) - but still plans to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The Tehran Times quotes Iran's coach Fariborz Askari as saying Hadipour will not undergo surgery in the hope of being able to take part at this year's Olympic Games.

"Hadipour will miss the Olympics if he undergoes the surgery," said Askari.

"After consulting with the doctors, we’ve decided to keep him fit for the Olympics without the surgery.

"Mohammad Bagheri Motamed won a silver medal at London 2012 under the same circumstances."

Mohammad Bagheri Motamed's runner-up display at London 2012 can be the blueprint for Armin Hadipour, says his coach ©Getty Images
Mohammad Bagheri Motamed's runner-up display at London 2012 can be the blueprint for Armin Hadipour, says his coach ©Getty Images

Hadipour won a bronze medal in the men's under-54-kilogram division at the 2019 World Championships in Manchester.

Two years previous, at the World Championships in Muju, Hadipour won silver.

Now 26, Hadipour also won three consecutive Universiade gold medals - at Gwangju 2015, Taipei 2017 and Naples 2019 - and was one of Iran's brightest medal hopes for Tokyo 2020 before news of this injury.

Iran's taekwondo players have recently been training with their Bulgarian counterparts, ahead of travelling to Bulgaria for next month's Sofia Open.