Taekwondo athlete In Gyo-don overcomes cancer to win valuable bronze medal in first-ever Olympics (Comprehensive)

Player In Gyo-don. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Korean male taekwondo representative In Gyodon (29, Korea Gas Corporation) won a bronze medal on his first Olympic stage.

On the 27th, In Gyodon defeated Ivan Konrad Trajkovic (Slovenia) 5-4 in the men's over 80kg bronze medal match at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics taekwondo held at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, Japan, winning the bronze medal. This is the second medal Korea won in taekwondo at this competition, following Jang Jun's bronze in the men's 58kg category.

In Gyodon succeeded in scoring first after a probing battle in the first round, taking a 3-0 lead.

In the second round, he focused on defense and did not lose control. He calmly waited for the opponent's attack, causing the opponent to expend energy. Then, by taking advantage of the opponent's mistake, he added one more point and finished the round 4-0.

In the third round, In Gyodon maintained a solid defense. Although he was penalized for somewhat passive play and allowed the opponent a punch attack, narrowing the score to 5-4, he ultimately secured the victory.

In Gyodon was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 22 in 2014. However, he overcame it and succeeded in making a comeback by winning a silver medal at the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade. Since then, he has consistently achieved good results and has reigned as the strongest heavyweight in Korea.

Meanwhile, Lee Dabin (25, Seoul City Hall), who competed in the women's over 67kg category, advanced to the final and will challenge Korea's first taekwondo gold medal at 9:30 PM that day.