China's Gong Li takes women's 61kg silver at WKF World Championships

China's Gong Li displays her silver medal after the women's 61-kilogram final at the WKF (World Karate Federation) World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, November 30, 2025. /CMG

China's Gong Li bowed out as the runner-up in the women's 61-kilogram division at the WKF (World Karate Federation) World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday.

More than 380 athletes from 88 countries and regions competed in the Egyptian capital. Gong, the reigning world champion and Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist, defeated three of the world's top-ranked contenders to reach the final.

Facing Iran's Atousa Golshadnejad in the title contest, Gong started quickly, taking an early 2-0 lead, but her opponent responded by earning back-to-back points, en route to grabbing gold 4-2.

Gong settled for silver while Tunisia's Wafa Mahjoub and Kazakhstan's Assel Kanay shared bronze to round out the podium.