Korean taekwondo seeks rebound in Rio

Taekwondo athletes train at Riocentro-Pavillion 5 in Rio de Janeiro, Monday. Taekwondo events at the Rio Olympics start Wednesday. / Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

South Korean taekwondo athletes arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, with the goal of helping their delegation achieve 10 gold medals, and recover the country’s tarnished reputation as the birthplace of the sport.

Taekwondo events will take place at the Rio Olympics for four days from Wednesday. One men’s and one’s women’s weight category, each containing 16 athletes, will be contested each day.

For bouts in Rio, five South Korean athletes have been training in Sao Paolo since last month. It is the largest number since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport at the 2000 Games because an entry limit of four athletes was abolished at the Rio Games.

Kim Tae-hun in the men’s 58 kilogram will kick off South Korea’s campaign, with Kim So-hui in the women’s 49 kilogram today; while Lee Dae-hoon will participate in the men’s 68 kilogram, Thursday. Oh Hye-ri and Cha Dong-min will compete, Friday and Saturday, respectively, in the women’s 67 kilogram and men’s 80 kilogram.

Upon touching down in Rio, head coach Park Jong-man said, “We feel pressured as Koreans’ performances in some sports were unexpectedly poor, but we have prepared for the Rio Games more systematically than for any other international competitions.”

As of Monday, South Korea stands 10th in the medal standings with six gold, three silver and five bronze. With the games passing the halfway point, the country’s goal of marking 10th place with 10 gold is unlikely to be accomplished unless athletes in women’s golf and taekwondo get some top podium finishes.

For the athletes, redeeming their disappointing results in the London Games is another goal.

Four years ago, Hwang Kyung-seon bagged the gold in the women’s 67 kilogram and Lee Dae-hoon — also competing in Rio — won silver in the men’s 58 kilogram. Hwang was the first South Korean taekwondo athlete to win consecutive Olympic gold at the 2008 and 2012 Games.

That was a disappointment for South Korea, not only because it is the home of taekwondo but also its athletes clinched four gold in four events they competed in at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

With each athlete aiming for gold, Kim and Lee are seeking to accomplish the so-called “taekwondo grand slam” — winning a World Championship, Asian Games, Asian Championships and the Olympic Games; the only medal they are missing.

Olympic ranked No. 2 Kim’s most feared rival is Farzan Ashourzadeh Fallah. The 19-year-old Iranian, three years junior to Kim, emerged on the scene in 2014 and continued his dominance in the next year. Though the Olympic No. 1 will seek to continue his winning ways, Kim has the experience of beating him by a golden point in the 2015 season’s Grand Prix Final.

In the men’s 68 kilogram, Lee will compete against star-studded competition that is expected to showcase the most competitive bouts. The gap between the Olympic ranking points of No. 1 Jaouad Achab of Belgium and No. 2 Lee is a mere 10. Lee’s long-time rival, Mexico’s Saul Guttierez, known for his head kicks, is third seeded.

Also, the 2012 Games’ 58 kilogram final match up can be repeated, as Lee and also Joel Gonzalez Bonilla of Spain, who won the gold then, have moved up a weight category.

In +80 kilogram clash, Cha, 30, will have his last competitive tournament. He won gold at the 2008 Beijing Games and is seeking another as the sixth seed. To do so, he has to overcome No. 1 Dmitri Shokin of Uzbekistan. Shokin is not a flamboyant athlete, but is armed with solid balance, which has helped him emerge triumphant in his short taekwondo career.

For Olympic debutant Kim So-hui, China’s Wu Jingyu will be difficult to overcome. The No. 1 in the women’s 49 kilogram won the category twice at the 2008 and 2012 Games. Kim said Wu is still formidable, but she is not as fast as she used to be.

Oh is competing in the 67 kilogram class having dropped a weight class after winning the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in the 73 kilogram event.

Taekwondo events in Rio will have different rules and a different mat from that of the London Games. An octagon-shaped mat will be introduced in Rio, replacing the previous square-shaped one. Also the size of the mat is smaller, from 64 square meters to 52.48 square meters. Also, changes were made in scoring rules and electronic protectors for more entertaining match ups.