WUXI, China (Oct. 27, 2025) – The sound of the Egyptian national anthem at the World Taekwondo Championships has been a long time coming.
“For Egypt, it is history – it has been 28 years since we last won a gold medal, which was before I was born,” Seif Eissa aptly noted after he became the man to end that wait in Wuxi with victory in the Men’s -87kg.
There are so many undertones to Eissa’s story which make it heart-warming and speak to the beauty of sport.
Eissa has routinely competed for medals at major events, winning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the Guadalajara 2022 and Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in the -80kg category.
Gold had proved elusive until his triumph in Wuxi having moved up a weight category. It ranks as one of the highlights of his career, but Eissa’s reflections on it also revealed pride at the manner in which he has regularly reached the podium.
“Consistency is the best thing for me,” he said.
“I am very happy and proud of this. I cannot describe how I am feeling, but I was thinking before that getting one gold medal at the World Championships was good. After I achieved it, I think it is more than good. It is the best feeling.”
Eissa was philosophical when he considered why Wuxi 2025 was his crowning moment, and believes fate helped to decide his destiny.
“I believe every time I was ready to get a gold medal, but it is not about the performance it is about God’s plan. Sometimes God’s plan is not for today. You have to be patient and you have to continue until you achieve your dream,” he said.
“But sometimes you are in the best shape and do not achieve [what you want]. Yesterday I was good, but this time God’s plan was the gold medal so I was very happy. There was nothing new – I had the same attitude.”
On a thrilling day three in Wuxi, Eissa was up against another great in Italy’s Simone Alessioin the Men’s -87kg final, his opponent aiming to achieve the rare feat of winning three gold medals in three different weight categories at the World Taekwondo Championships.
The contest went the distance, and all three rounds were settled in the closing seconds. Eissa had been moments away from an outright victory in the second round, only for his opponent to score a flurry of late points. He was able to hit back and win the decider, and explained how he was able to keep his emotions in check.
“For me I was not under pressure. To have a medal at the World Championships for the third time and have consistency was amazing. When I got to the final, my coach told me don’t rush for the gold medal and don’t see it as one opportunity. He told me take it easy and treat it like a normal fight. It was one fight, I had to think about details, think about each point and the win will come,” Eissa said.
“It was very hard because I was just a few seconds from winning and then he [Alessio] won the second round. Between the second and third rounds, I told myself to take it easy. There was only one round left for the day, one round left to become world champion.
“I didn’t have to talk too negatively to myself. I tried to take it easy, to breathe, to tell myself no problem – I have to find another plan, but have this calm mind so I do not have too much pressure. This happened and I won the third round.”
This is Eissa’s first year competing in the -87kg category having moved up from -80kg. He admitted it has proved a challenge, but this helps to motivate him to achieve more.
“I started to move from -80kg to -87kg, and my Olympic weight from the -80kg to the heavyweight. The change was not easy because you have to gain muscles and be bigger,because you are fighting against really tall people. I started to work on this,” he said.
“I started to achieve some goals of the body and the weight, but it is really different moving from the -80kg.
“For me, -80kg is one of the best and toughest of all the categories. Now -87kg was different, but God helped me to manage everything.
“It is a new challenge, but I will move again to the heavyweight for the Olympic category, so I like these challenges because they make me more hungry.”
Eissa believes that Taekwondo in Egypt is on the rise, and hopes his success in Wuxi can provide encouragement to young people in the country.
“It means a lot to the Egyptians, because when you win a medal you inspire a new generation, the people, and the parents who send their daughters and their sons to Taekwondo,” he said.
“The Ministry in Egypt is starting to invest more in Taekwondo because we are winning more medals at the Olympics and World Championships, so it is very good for Taekwondo in Egypt to win one gold medal.
“Everybody is happy, and everybody is giving more motivation to the coaches and the players to achieve more.“
After his historic success at the World Taekwondo Championships, Eissa intends to take the same grounded approach prioritising consistency in the lead-up to the 2027 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I don’t think too much about the goal. I think about the process and the progress I have to make. My job is to work, not to win a gold medal. If God gives it to me, he gives it to me. My job is only to work every day, train two or three times per day. I try to do my job every day with good consistency, because consistency is very important,” he said.
“For two and a half years, you have to train every day, you have to keep your body without injury, recover well, eat and sleep well. This is not easy. I have to do my job and if the medalcomes I am very happy. If it does not come, I am also very happy for the journey.”
Eissa will remain in Wuxi to support his Egyptian team-mates, including brother Rami who is competing in the Men’s -74kg on the final day on Thursday (October 30).
His success has been richly deserved, and will be remembered as one of the highlights of theWorld Taekwondo Championships, both in Egypt and beyond.
