South Korean Para taekwondo hopeful Joo Jeong-hoon (29-SK Eco Plant) struck gold for his country.
Joo defeated Iran’s Alireza Bakht
15-13 in the men’s K44 competition 80 kg final at the Hangzhou 2022 Para Asian Games on Friday at the
Shaoshan Guoli Sports Center in Hangzhou, China.
It was the first time taekwondo has been featured at the Games, and the inaugural winner made Asian Para Games history.
Within three years of taking up the sport in 2018, Joo won bronze in the 75kg category at the Tokyo 2020
Paralympic Games and became the first South Korean to win the World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix in June this year.
He went on to prove that he was in top form at the Para Asian Games, defeating all of the top-ranked athletes in the world.
“I was very worried because I had a major knee injury, but once I got into the match, I didn’t feel any pain
because I knew I had to win. I struggled against a strong opponent, but I was able to capitalize on his
mistakes to win,” said Joo. “I will continue to work hard until next year and stand on the top of the
podium at the Paris Paralympic Games.”
After scoring the first five points of the game with a spinning kick, Zhu adjusted his distance from his
opponent and responded to a charging Alireza with a return kick. Leading 6-2, he was stopped midway
through the game when his right leg slammed into his opponent’s knee.
After regrouping and exchanging points with a flurry of punches, 카지노사이트랭크 she landed a precise
right foot to the body to take the lead. With a minute left in the match, Joo took off his headgear to
celebrate his two-point victory.
Joo
Defeated a string of Kazakhstan players to reach the final. In his quarterfinal match against World No. 16
Zavorat Kaziyev, he opened the scoring with an early left foot strike to his opponent’s right torso and held on for a 2-0 victory.
After the quarterfinals, Joo said
“I didn’t feel well. “At the Tokyo Paralympics, I was under pressure because I lost the first game and went
to the loser’s bracket, but this time I won and the color of my medal will be different,” he said.
In the semifinals
He eased past runner-up Nurlan Dombayev 17-1. After taking a one-point penalty for hitting his
opponent’s leg, he quickly turned the tables by landing a hard right foot to the body. With a series of
kicks with both feet and attacks looking for gaps, he widened the gap and kept his opponent off balance.
“He is an excellent athlete, so I tried to instill confidence in him that he could win through conversation,”
said Kim Ye-sun, head coach of the Korean Taekwondo Team. “It is even more meaningful to win the first
gold medal in Jongju. I hope we will continue to have winners starting with Joo Jeong-hoon.” 섯다