Iran defector loses to old friend and former taekwondo teammate at Paris Olympics

One wore a veil, the other fought with her head bare.

Nahid Kiyani Chandeh and Kimia Alizadeh were once friends and roommates as part of the junior Iran taekwondo team. Now an entire world separates them.

They clashed Thursday at the Paris Olympics in the 57-kilogram division and Alizadeh, who defected from Iran, lost in her bid to win a gold medal for her new country, Bulgaria.

Kiyani Chandeh, the current world champion, came out on top of a very tense fight that was settled by a referee decision after the athletes, both 26, finished tied with seven points each in the decisive third round.

Alizadeh had a three-point lead in the decider with six seconds left, but Kiyani Chandeh leveled with a kick to the head and was handed the victory by superiority.

Kiyani Chandeh went on to win the tournament and Alizadeh claimed a bronze medal after going through a repechage process.

Alizadeh was the first Iranian female athlete ever to win an Olympic medal when she claimed bronze in Rio de Janeiro as an 18-year-old.

Her win catapulted her to fame, but she grew frustrated with life in Iran. As she announced she was leaving her country four years ago, she accused Iranian officials of sexism and criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf.

At the time, she described herself as “one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran.”

After heading to Germany, she became a member of the Refugee Olympic Team and came close to earning a bronze medal in Tokyo.

In April, she left the IOC team — created in 2016 to provide opportunities to victims of political persecution and war — when she announced she had received Bulgarian citizenship.

The round-of-16 fight Thursday between the two rivals — who used to be roomates at Iran's national training center during their youth year — was revenge for Kiyani Chandeh, who had lost to Alizadeh in Tokyo.

She belted out her joy and clenched her fists in delight after her win and celebrated with her coach as Alizadeh took a knee. The rivals didn’t even glance at each other as they exited the octagonal combat zone, then declined to speak to reporters.

Asked whether the bout was politically charged, the president of the Iranian taekwondo federation said it was just a “very hard match.”

“This is a sport, it's not politics,” he said. “She is in the Bulgaria team now, we respect everybody. Their relationship is not bad.”

More Paris Olympics news: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh, left, reacts at the end of a women's 57kg Taekwondo match against Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi competes with Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh in a women's 57kg Taekwondo match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi competes with Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh in a women's 57kg Taekwondo match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi competes with Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh in a women's 57kg Taekwondo match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi competes with Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh in a women's 57kg Taekwondo match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi competes with Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh in a women's 57kg Taekwondo match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi competes with Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh in a women's 57kg Taekwondo match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi reacts at the end of a women's 57kg Taekwondo match against Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh reacts at the end of a women's 57kg Taekwondo match against Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Iran's Nahid Kiyanichandeh, right, reacts at the end of a women's 57kg Taekwondo match against Bulgaria's Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi during the 2024 Summer Olympics, at the Grand Palais, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

LOS ALTOS, Calif. & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 11, 2025--

Bidgely joins fellow energy industry thought leaders in a series of live discussions at the upcoming DistribuTECH International conference in Dallas, Texas, taking place March 24 - 27. As an award-winning top AI company in the energy space, Bidgely and its pioneering utility partners will share their success implementing AI to achieve critical initiatives, including holistic EV programs, grid modernization and more.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250311979490/en/

“Changes to the energy landscape, particularly EVs, renewable energy and increased peak demand, have necessitated the use of AI technology to align real-time consumer load impact with long-term forecast planning,” said Abhay Gupta, CEO of Bidgely. “At DistribuTECH 2025, we will see an exciting compilation of AI success stories that showcase how utilities are building smarter, stronger grids.”

Featured Bidgely DistribuTECH Sessions

Beyond Managed Charging:How Utilities Are Building a Holistic EV Management Program, From Detection to Grid Planning to Load Shift

T uesday, March 25, 10:00 - 10:50am local time, featuring:

The session will explore how utilities are developing comprehensive AI-powered EV management programs that detect EVs, analyze charging patterns and identify impact on specific grid assets to maximize load-shift value and optimize grid resilience.

Distributed Intelligence and Evolving AMI (AMI 1.0 to 2.0): A Playbook for Utilities Leading the Grid Transformation

T uesday, March 25, 2:00 - 2:50pm local time

This session will showcase the seamless transition from AMI 1.0 to AMI 2.0 smart meters that minimizes disruption to operations and customer coverage, while building a future-ready grid that meets evolving demands.

Smart Grid Future:How Utilities Are Building a Smarter Grid With AI, Dynamic Rates, and Customer Coaching

W ednesday, March 26, 10:00 - 10:50am local time

This session will highlight best practices and lessons turned from using TOU rates and AI-enabled solutions to bridge the gap between customer engagement and flexible grid management.

Peer-to-Peer Exchanges and Live Demonstrations

Ramanathan will also lead an interactive roundtable focused on how AI and GenAI are driving personalization, enabling real-time grid intelligence, and unlocking new demand flexibility opportunities to future-proof the energy ecosystem.

Additionally, Bidgely will host GenAI talks at Booth 1323 in the EXPO Theater in partnership with the Net Zero Alliance, Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, from 11:30am -12:30pm — GenAI: Transforming Customer and Grid Operations.

To schedule a meeting with Bidgely during DistribuTECH 2025, visit bidgely.com/events/dtech.

About Bidgely

Bidgely is an AI-powered SaaS Company accelerating a clean energy future by enabling energy companies and consumers to make data-driven energy-related decisions. Powered by our unique patented technology, Bidgely's UtilityAI™ Platform transforms multiple dimensions of customer data - such as energy consumption, demographics, and interactions - into deeply accurate and actionable consumer energy insights. We leverage these insights to empower each customer with personalized recommendations, tailored to their individual personality and lifestyle, usage attributes, behavioral patterns, purchase propensity, and beyond. From a distributed energy resources (DER) and grid edge perspective, Bidgely is advancing smart meter innovation with data-driven solutions for solar PVs, electric vehicle (EV) detection, EV behavioral load shifting and managed charging, energy theft, short-term load forecasting, grid analytics, and time of use (TOU) rate designs. Bidgely’s UtilityAI™ energy analytics provides deep visibility into generation and consumption for better peak load shaping and grid planning, and delivers targeted recommendations for new value-added products and services. With roots in Silicon Valley, Bidgely has over 16 energy patents, $75M+ in funding, retains 30+ data scientists, and brings a passion for AI to utilities serving residential and commercial customers around the world. For more information, please visit www.bidgely.com or the Bidgely blog at bidgely.com/blog.

Bidgely and its utility partners will showcase the power of AI for innovative energy management at DistribuTECH 2025. (Photo: Business Wire)