Meng Mingkuan won the men's taekwondo 87kg title bout at the Chengdu FISU World University Games on Aug 3, defeating opponent Arian Salimi of Iran with a thrilling 2-1 comeback.

Meng, who studies at North University of China in China's Shanxi province, also helped to secure a bronze medal in the men's taekwondo team event the following day. 

Meng, who was born in 2000, majors in sports training at the Sports College of North University of China. He previously won a silver medal in the men's 87kg category at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships and claimed first place in the men's 87kg category at the 2023 World Taekwondo Belgium Open and the Australia Open. 

"In this competition, I made great progress in spinning, head kicks, and countering close-range attacks. I performed according to the standards we set during training. However, there are still some details that need improvement," said Meng in an interview after the individual event. 

He expressed determination to prepare for Olympic selection and strive for even better results. 

Taekwondo is one of the strongest sports programs at North University of China. The university achieved impressive results with one gold, one silver, and one bronze in the taekwondo events at the 2015 World University Games.