By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
South Korea won two more gold medals on the final day of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World Taekwondo Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday (KST).
Olympic champion Lim Su-jeong rallied to defeat Hua Zhang of China 10-8 to win the women's under-62 kilogram division, while Kim Joon-tae claimed a gold medal, the nation's fifth, in the men's under-71 kilograms category, with a 7-5 come-from-behind win over Maxime Potvin of Canada.
Korea wraps up the biennial event with three golds from the men's side and two from the women's. The men's team clinched the overall title for the 19th straight time. Spain was second, followed by Turkey and the United States.
China won two gold and two silver medals to claim the women's overall title, ending the Korean women's team's string of 11 straight wins. Korea was second with two golds and a silver while Spain was third.
American Steven Lopez was named the men's Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition, as the 30-year-old two-time Olympic winner became the first five-time world champion in the under-80 class, while Yague Enrique Brigitte of Spain captured the women's award after becoming a three-time world champion in the under-49 class.
Lim, who got past Estefania Hernandez Garcia of Spain 9-5 with three three-point front kicks in the semifinals, trailed her Chinese rival 8-7 through two rounds.
But the 23-year-old pulled out a late-round thriller, landing a kick to Zhang's face for a gold-sealing three points.
With the world title, Lim, who also triumphed at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, became the third Korean athlete in the sport to top the three major contests - the World Championships, Summer Olympics and Asian Games - following Moon Dae-sung and Hwang Kyung-sun.
Kim got off to a strong start with a 12-1 victory in the first round and faced Mark Lopez, the 2005 world champion and youngest brother of Steven Lopez, in the penultimate stage.
The 23-year-old Korean fell behind 4-0 but his attacks to the head and body led to his 7-5 upset victory over the favored Lopez.
In the women's over-73 kilograms, Jo Seol settled for a bronze medal after falling to China's Liu Rui.
The top coach awards went to Sin Hak-min of Afghanistan, Myriam Baverel of France, Jorge Gomes Ramos of Mali, Marimer Lopez of Puerto Rico, and Alexey Zemischev of Russia.