Taekwondo's Kim Yujin Defeats Three Top 5 World Players in a Row to Secure Silver (Comprehensive) [Paris Olympics]

Defeated World No.1 Luo Zhongsi 2-1 in Semifinals
Upset Caused by World No.24

Kim Yujin (Ulsan Metropolitan City Sports Council) in the women's 57kg Taekwondo category defeated the world No. 1 player and advanced to the Olympic final stage. On the 8th (local time), at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Kim secured the silver medal by defeating Luo Zongs (China) 2-1 in round scores (7-0 1-7 10-3) in the women's 57kg Taekwondo semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It has been 16 years since Korean Taekwondo won an Olympic medal in the women's 57kg category, following Lim Sujeong at the 2008 Beijing Games. After producing gold medalists in this weight class for three consecutive times?Jung Jae-eun at the 2000 Sydney Games, Jang Ji-won at the 2004 Athens Games, and Lim Sujeong?Korea experienced a long drought.

The final opponent will be the winner of the semifinal between Nahid Kiyani Chande (Iran) and Latesia Aoun (Lebanon). Kim Yujin will compete in the final match for the gold medal at 4:37 AM Korean time on the 9th.

In the first round, Kim Yujin showed calm game management. She continuously blocked her opponent's attacks with her lead foot and landed a surprise strike to Luo Zongs' jaw about one minute before the round ended. Luo, becoming desperate, aggressively sought scoring opportunities through lead foot fighting but failed to break through Kim's defense, who boasts a tall stature of 183 cm. Instead, Luo was hit again in the head attack 19 seconds before the round ended.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The momentum completely shifted in the second round. Kim Yujin attempted large movements such as spinning back kicks but showed openings and conceded consecutive points. She could not even seize a chance to recover and lost the round 1-7.

Kim Yujin renewed her focus in the third round. She carefully managed the match like in the first round and pressured Luo Zongs. She soon found a weakness and succeeded in three consecutive head attacks, pulling ahead 10-0. Luo Zongs, whom Kim defeated, is the strongest in this weight class. She won both the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. According to the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) rankings compiled until June, Luo led the rankings with 570.04 points, far ahead of second-ranked Nahid Kiyani Chande (435.77). Luo could have achieved a career Grand Slam by winning the gold medal at this Olympics, but she tasted disappointment due to Kim Yujin's outstanding performance.

Kim Yujin is only ranked 24th in the world. However, she continued her upset streak by defeating Hatice Ilgun (Turkey, 5th) in the round of 16, Skylar Park (Canada, 4th) in the quarterfinals, and now Luo Zongs.