Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-08-24 03:08:12

(BEIJING, August 23) — Olympic debutant Maria del Rosario Espinoza of Mexico took the gold in the Women’s 67kg weight division by beating Nina Solheim of Norway 3-1.

Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain won a bronze medal by overwhelming Noha Abd Rabo of Egypt with a 5-1 victory.

Stevenson was able to compete in the semifinal match instead of Chinese fighter Chen Zhong, whose victory over Stevenson in the quarterfinals was judged as invalid by the Competition Supervisory Board. The new decision ruled that Stevenson won the match 2-1.

The ruling left Chen, two-time Olympic gold medalist, medal-less in the competition.

In the other bronze medal match, Brazilian fighter Natalia Falavigna overpowered reigning European champion Karolina Kedzierska of Sweden 5-2.

In the Men’s 80kg division, first-time Olympian Cha Dong-min of the Republic of Korea won the gold by narrowly defeating European champion Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece 5-4.

Kazakhstani fighter Arman Chilmanov won a bronze medal after his opponent, Angel Valodia Matos of Cuba, was disqualified for exceeding the one-minute injury time allowance.

It was a disappointing day for reigning world champion Daba Modibo Keita of Mali, who was eliminated by Nigerian fighter Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije in the quarterfinals.

Chukwumerije went on to claim a bronze medal by defeating Uzbekistani fighter Akmal Irgashev 4-3.

Updated: 2008-08-23 21:47:55

(BEIJING, August 23) — Cha Dong-min of the Republic of Korea won his first major championship title on Saturday by defeating European champion Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece 5-4 in a thrilling final match of the Men’s 80 weight class in the Olympic Taekwondo competition.

Cha attacked impressively in the first round. Nikolaidis received two points for a pair of defensive kicks, while Cha scored from two offensive kicks, including a two-point kick. The first round finished with Cha leading 3-2.

In the second round, Nikolaidis began to be more aggressive with he and Cha receiving one point each for offensive kicks.

With a narrow 4-3 lead, Cha became more defensive in the last round. Nikolaidis’ one–point offensive kick kept his hopes alive, but a defensive kick by Cha secured the Olympic gold medal.

Updated: 2008-08-23 21:36:50

Maria del Rosario Espinoza is congratulated by Nina Solheim. (Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Maria del Rosario Espinoza of Mexico defeated Nina Solheim of Norway in the Taekwondo Women’s 67kg gold medal contest at the Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing, China, August 23, 2008.

Maria del Rosario Espinoza (red) fights against Nina Solheim. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Maria del Rosario Espinoza celebrates. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Maria del Rosario Espinoza celebrates. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Updated: 2008-08-23 20:51:36

(BEIJING, August 23) — Maria del Rosario Espinoza of Mexico took the gold in the Women’s 67 weight division by beating Nina Solheim of Norway 3-1 on Saturday in the final match of the Olympic Taekwondo competition.

Espinoza took a 1-0 lead in the first round with a defensive kick.

In the second round, both athletes fought conservatively and neither managed to score.

The third round saw Espinoza launch a flurry of attacks, which earned her four points, while Solheim only scored one-point with an offensive kick. Though Espinoza received a one-point deduction for a second warning, the three points proved enough for her to take home the gold medal.

Updated: 2008-08-23 02:39:57

(BEIJING, August 23) — Iranian veteran Hadi Saei claimed his second Olympic goldmedal on Friday by defeating Italian fighter Mauro Sarmiento in the final of the Men’s -80kg division.

Unexpectedly, defending champion Steven Lopez of the United States lost to Sarmiento in a quarterfinal match, which finished with a disputed point deduction. But Lopez’s defeat of Azerbaijani Rashad Ahmadov brought him a bronze.

The other bronze medal went to Chinese fighter Zhu Guo, who defeated Aaron Cook of Great Britain in a bronze medal match.

In the Women’s -67kg class competition, bronze medallist at Athens 2004 Hwang Kyung-seon of the Republic of Korea won the gold medal

Canadian Karine Sergerie claimed the silver after losing to Hwang.

French taekwondo fighter Gwladys Patience Epangue took home a bronze by defeating Australian fighter Tina Morgan 4-1.

The other bronze medal went to Sandra Saric of Croatia, who overpowered Asuncion Ocasio Rodriguez of Puerto Rico 5-1 in the other bronze medal match.

Updated: 2008-08-23 00:11:23

(BEIJING, August 22) — The Olympic Taekwondo competition will enter its fourth day on Saturday, with the Women’s 67kg weight class and the Men’s 80kg weight class set to take center stage.

Women’s 67kg weight class

China’s Chen Zhong, who is dubbed the “Taekwondo Queen”, stands out from her competitors. The gold medallist at both Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 in the 67 weight division is no doubt the most glamorous favorite.

Another favorite is Maria del Rosario Espinoza of Mexico, who was the world champion of the Middleweight 67-72kg division at the 2007 Beijing World Championships. Since there are a wider variety of weights in Olympic divisions, Espinoza has to face competitors that normally compete in a higher weight category. But as taekwondo is largely a skill-oriented sport, Espinoza still has a fair chance of winning a medal.

Despite possessing a good record on the international taekwondo scene, Athens 2004 bronze medallist Adriana Carmona Gutierrez of Venezuela has not competed much in recent years. However, the experienced fighter is still a dangerous opponent.

Karolina Kedzierska of Sweden, the reigning European champion, is another powerful contender.

Men’s 80kg weight class

The reigning world heavyweight champion Daba Modibo Keita of Mali is considered as a hot favorite for a gold medal. He may win his country’s first-ever Olympic medal, probably a gold medal.

But Keita will face a challenge from reigning European champion Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece.

Chinese fighter Liu Xiaobo, the Asian champion, will pose another threat to Keita.

But Keita’s real opponents are Mickael Borot of France and Cha Dong-min of the Republic of Korea, who respectively finished first and third at the World Qualifying Tournament, effectively sandwiching the second-placed Keita.

Updated: 2008-08-22 23:43:01

(BEIJING, August 22) — Hwang Kyung-seon of the Republic of Korea won the gold medal in the Women’s -67kg class of the Olympic Taekwondo competition. Hwang defeated Canadian Karine Sergerie 2-1 in the gold medal bout.

Hwang was the bronze medal winner at Athens 2004, and two-time world champion in 2005 and 2007, while Sergerie was the 2007 world champion in the 59-63kg class.

Sergerie scored the first point with a defensive kick in the first round, but Hwang fought back and equalized the score 1-1 in the second round. Hwang nailed the 2-1 victory with an offensive kick in the third round.