Kim adds silver on final day Taekwondo Worlds
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Kim Hwi-lang of Korea, left, and Carmen Marton of Australia exchange kicks in the women’s under-62-kilogram final match at Centro Expositor in Puebla, Mexico, Monday. Kim lost 7-3. / Korea Times
By Jung Min-ho
PUEBLA, Mexico ― Kim Hwi-lang took a silver medal after losing to Carmen Marton of Australia in the woman’s under-62-kilogram final match 7-3 at the Centro Expositor Monday.
It was Marton’s four-point turning kick to Kim’s head two seconds before the final whistle that determined the winner.
“I was too passive,” Kim said. “I should have been more aggressive in the final.”
Kim and Marton seemed out of gas from the get-go, finishing the first round without a score.
Kim’s attack pattern, which relied too much on her left round kick, was boring. But Marton also failed to capitalize on the predictable offensive.
After giving up one point by warnings accumulated in the second round, Kim showed some urgency in the final round.
Kim’s spin kick finally scored two points but Marton responded with her left round kick to get even.
The score became 3-3 after exchanging round kicks, and the balance remained for a few seconds before Marton’s turning kick connected to Kim’s head.
With the win, Marton became the first Australian athlete to win a championship title.
Despite Kim’s loss, Korea won the most gold medals both in the men’s and women’s events with the best performance since the Jeju event in 2001.
The Korean men returned to the top with 60 points (three golds, one silver and one bronze), followed by Iran in second place with 48, after giving up the title to Iran which had 74 points over Korea’s 61 in 2011. The Korean women collected 61 points ahead of second-placed Russia with 31.
Overall, Korea pocketed six golds, three silvers and one bronze, followed by Cuba with two golds and three bronzes, and Mexico with one gold, three silvers and one bronze.
Two-time championship winner Lee Dae-hoon and Russia’s Olga Ivanova won the Most Valuable Player awards.
Italy’s Leonardo Basile and Croatia’s Ana Zaninovic won the Fair Play Male and Female respectively, while Mexico’s Bang Young-jin and Myriam Baverel won the Best Coach awards.
The seven-day event ended with a closing ceremony at the jam-packed stadium that hosted 950 athletes from 134 countries.
The 22nd Championships will be held in Chelyabinsk City of Russia in 2015.