Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Korea top medal haul at Taekwondo Worlds
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Lee Dae-hoon of Korea, left, and Abel Mendoza of Mexico exchange kicks during the men’s under-63-kilogram final match at the World Taekwondo Championships in Puebla, Mexico, Friday. / Korea Times
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
PUEBLA, Mexico — Koreans took two gold medals with dominant performances on the sixth day of the World Taekwondo Championships at the jam-packed Centro Expositor Sunday.
Kim So-hee, 20, won the women’s under-57-kilogram event against Japan’s Mayu Hamada 15-4, while Lee Dae-hoon, 21, topped the men’s under-63-kilogram one against Mexico’s Abel Mendoza 16-8.
The results secured the top position for Korea with six gold, two silver and one bronze medal, followed by Cuba with two golds and three bronzes, and Mexico with one gold and one bronze.
“It feels like a dream,” Kim told reporters. “The faces of my parents first came to my mind after my win was announced.”
It was Kim’s first gold at an international competition after failing to top the podium at the Asian Championships, Student World Championships last year and Universiade in 2011.
Kim looked more comfortable than Hamada throughout the match. Her confidence picked up as the night wore on. After taking the lead with her round kick in the first round, she never let it go.
The 1-0 lead widened to 9-3 in the second round after Kim landed two head kicks and two chest kicks on her Japanese opponent. Hamada only managed to score three points because Kim did not provide any openings in her defense.
Kim’s attacking pattern was very diverse. Kicks coming from different angles were hard to predict and therefore respond to. She connected four more kicks to the body of her opponent, who seemed to run out of gas in the third round.
“The intense training for stamina helped me a lot at the competition,” Kim said. “I barely felt fatigue.”
Lee did not need three rounds to confirm his title against the Mexican in front of hostile home fans. The referee had to stop the match as the point gap surpassed 12 with still 1 minute and 33 seconds to go in the last period.
Lee led all the way through the match, finishing with a 5-0 lead in the first round, 12-3 in the second, and finally reaching a decisive 12 point-difference in the final round.
Lee seemed more improved from the 2012 Olympic upset, where he lost to Joel Gonzalez of Spain in the final. He got his revenge in the quarterfinals after beating Gonzalez 21-8, leaving no doubt as to who is the best of the division now. The Mexican had power but lacked accuracy, failing to turn most of his kicks into points.
“I think I had an advantage because I was taller than Mendoza,” Lee said.
“Before the match against Gonzalez, I was very nervous but it disappeared as my kicks scored.”
The final-day contest will resume with the men’s under-80-kilogram and the women’s under-62-kilogram events.