Kim Yu-jin wins another gold for South Korea, Ulugbek Rashitov secures back-to-back taekwondo titles
PARIS (AP) — South Korea is back in force in taekwondo.
After leaving the Tokyo Games without a single gold medal in the sport it invented, the East Asian nation claimed a second title in as many days at the Paris Olympics.
It came down to Kim Yu-jin in the women’s 57-kilogram division on Thursday, a day after Park Tae-joon claimed the title in the men’s 58k class.
Kim was ruthless in the gold-medal match to hand a brutal defeat to world champion Nahid Kiyani Chandeh of Iran.
Kimia Alizadeh, who 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, secured another medal of the same color eight years later but for another country.
After defecting from Iran, Alizadeh is now representing Bulgaria. She lost her opening-round match against Kiyani Chandeh and later claimed bronze through a repechage process.
In the men's competition, Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 68-kilogram division.
Rashitov, who won the title in Tokyo three years ago, won his four bouts at the Paris Games without losing a single round. He wrapped up the title with a victory Thursday over Kareem Zaid of Jordan, who reached the final in his Olympic debut.
The 22-year-old Rashitov opened up the fight with a beautiful turning kick to Zaid’s head and was then in total control.
Liang Yushuai of China and Edival Pontes of Brazil took the bronze medals.
Taekwondo tournaments at the Olympics award two bronze medals, with the losing semifinalists facing two contestants who lost to the finalists in the elimination phase but gained another podium chance through repechage.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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