South Korea was more than another stop on Seif Eissa’s journey. It was a landmark moment for Egyptian taekwondo.
After four tough bouts, Eissa reached the final, where he faced one of the biggest names in the sport: Russia’s Vladislav Larin, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion.
Eissa beat Larin 2-0 to claim gold in the over-80kg category at the 2026 Taekwondo Grand Prix in South Korea.
The victory added a new milestone to Eissa’s career. He became the first Egyptian man to win Grand Prix gold, adding to a record that already includes Olympic bronze from Tokyo 2020 and World Championship gold in China in 2025.
He also won bronze in the under-80kg category at the World Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2022, and Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2023.
Final showdown
Eissa kicked off his campaign with a 2-0 win over Tunisia’s Moataz Aifaoui.
In the semi-finals, he faced Greece’s Vasileios Tholiotis in a much closer contest. Eissa lost the opening round but responded well, winning the next two to take the match 2-1 (3-9, 11-3, 6-2).
That put him into the final, with Larin waiting on the other side.
The Russian had already established himself as one of the leading names in the category, but Eissa never looked overawed. He controlled the final and finished with another 2-0 win.
This time, the gold was his.
Gold for Egypt
The victory gave Egypt its first Grand Prix gold in the men’s competition.
Hedaya Malak had previously won Grand Prix gold for Egypt in the women’s competition in Mexico in 2015.
Eissa has now joined her as one of Egypt’s Grand Prix champions, while becoming the first Egyptian man to stand on top of the podium.
Next challenge
Eissa’s run in South Korea also secured his place at the G10 Grand Prix Final in Kazakhstan in November 2026.
The event carries plenty of weight. The winner will collect 100 ranking points, making it an important stop for athletes looking ahead to the next Olympic cycle.
Eissa will not be Egypt’s only representative. Jana Khattab also booked her place in the final after winning silver at the Rome Grand Prix in June.
Having two Egyptians qualify for the season-ending event is another encouraging sign of the country’s growing presence in world taekwondo.
A winning start
The gold in South Korea did not come out of nowhere.
Just weeks earlier, Eissa won the +87kg title at the Bosnia Open 2026. He won all four of his fights without dropping a single round.
That run offered an early sign of the form he would take into South Korea.
Towards Los Angeles
Eissa already knows what it means to stand on an Olympic podium. He won bronze at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021, before becoming world champion in China in 2025.
Now, the 2026 Grand Prix gold has been added to his record. But there is one prize that still stands above the rest.
Los Angeles 2028 is already in sight, and every major tournament between now and then will matter.
Onwards and upwards
For now, there is little point in Eissa looking back. South Korea gave him his first Grand Prix gold and a place in Egyptian taekwondo history. Kazakhstan is next in November.
Beyond that is Los Angeles 2028.
From bronze in Tokyo to a world title in China, followed by gold in Bosnia and South Korea, Eissa has come a long way. The next two years will bring a different kind of test. Eissa has already beaten an Olympic champion and become the first Egyptian man to win Grand Prix gold. Now he will see how far that momentum can take him in Los Angeles.
