Britain's double Olympic champion Jade Jones, in red, won gold in the women's under-57kg category at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Paris ©World Taekwondo

Less than a year away from the Paris 2024 Olympics, Turkey’s Merve Dincel, Iran’s Mahdi Hajimousaei and Britain’s Jade Jones won gold on the first day of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Paris.

The event, which will conclude on Sunday (September 3), is taking place in the Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan in Levallois-Perret, five kilometres north-east of the Grand Palais, where the Paris 2024 Olympic competition is due to take place from August 7 to 10 2024.

The first final of the night, in the women’s under-49 kilogram category, saw Dincel, who won the world title in Baku three months ago, up against Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Adriana Cerezo Iglesias of Spain.

Having won the first round due to higher registrations after the score had finished at 1-1, Dincel took the title in spectacular fashion with one second on the clock as, with the score at 0-0, she landed a kick to the head to win the round 3-0.

Cerezo Iglesias had reached the final after a hard-fought win against Iran’s Mobina Nematzadeh in the semi-final, having come back from a first round loss to win the next two rounds.

Dincel had a smoother route to the final as she beat China’s Xiaolu Wang 2-0 in the second of the semi-finals.

Merve Dincel, in red, won the women's under-49kg title at the Paris 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix ©World Taekwondo
Merve Dincel, in red, won the women's under-49kg title at the Paris 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix ©World Taekwondo

For Wang it was her first Grand Prix bronze medal while for Nematzadeh it was the second in a matter of months after winning in Rome.

The men’s -58kg final brought together Hamjimousaei and his 19-year-old compatriot Abolfazl Zandi, who had fought in the Rome semi-final, which Hajimousaei had won.

Unfortunately, the enthusiastic French crowd were denied a re-match as Zandi had to withdraw before the fight began.

Zandi had caused an upset in the semi-final by beating Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi from Egypt 2-0.

In the second semi-final Hajimousaei overcame Bailey Lewis from Australia.

The last final of the night, the women’s under-57kg category, saw Jones - the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic champion and 2019 world gold medallist - face China’s five-time Grand Prix champion Zongshi Luo.

The Briton won the first round 10-4 and, despite a spinning head kick from Lou, she managed to hold on to the second round 7-5 to claim gold.

Luo had beaten former world youth champion Aailyah Powell of Britain 2-0 in the first semi-final, with Powell winning her first ever Grand Prix bronze medal.

Jones faced a tough test in her semi-final against the bronze medallist from this year’s World Championships Hatice Kubra Ilgun of Turkey, but prevailed after Ilgun had won the opening round.

Tomorrow is set to feature action in the women’s under-67kg category, and men’s under-68kg and under-80kg categories.