"It Was Not the Time to Think About the Consequences"... Taekwondo Coach Runs Onto the Court for His Student

Rushing onto the Court to Strongly Protest... Leading to a Reversal of the Decision
Coach Oh Hyeri: "We Had to Do Whatever It Took to Protect the Player"

Coach Oh Hyeri, who strongly protested a decision during the 2024 Paris Olympic Taekwondo match even violating regulations and ultimately secured a victory, is making headlines. Coach Oh recalled the moment, saying, "There was no time to think about the consequences."

On the 9th (local time), Seo Geon-woo competed against Chile's Joaquin Churchil in the men's 80kg Taekwondo quarterfinals held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France.

At that time, Seo lost the first round to Churchil and was trailing 7 to 15 with 13 seconds left in the second round. However, he showed intense focus in the final moments, closing the gap to 11 to 16, and with 1 second remaining, he tied the score 16 to 16 after a spinning attack and opponent's penalty were confirmed through video review.

When the score is tied, the winner is decided by the player with more points from spinning kicks, then by the player with more points in the order of head-body-fist-penalty, and finally by the player with more valid electronic protector hits. Seo succeeded in 2 spinning attacks, while Martinez succeeded in 1, so Seo was expected to win the second round.

However, after a lengthy review, the referee awarded the point to Churchil. Seo protested to the referee, and then Coach Oh ran onto the court, waving her hands vigorously to object. Coach Oh strongly protested for about 20 seconds, moving between the court referees and the main stand. Her fierce protest even drew boos from the audience.

Coach Oh Hyeri is protesting to the referee during the men's 80kg round of 16 Taekwondo match at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France on the 9th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Eventually, the referee reversed the decision following Coach Oh's protest, awarding Seo the second round, and Seo went on to win the third round as well, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Due to her protest that day, Coach Oh received a disciplinary action of "warning and public apology" from the World Taekwondo Federation (WT). According to federation regulations, coaches must direct protests about decisions not to the referees but to the Technical Delegate. They must also refrain from actions that could provoke specific reactions from the audience inside the venue.

Upon hearing about the disciplinary action, Coach Oh said in the mixed zone after Seo Geon-woo's bronze medal match, "I had no choice at that time. It was not the moment to think about the consequences," adding, "If it ended like that, nothing could be overturned. I had to do whatever it took to protect the athlete," reflecting on the round of 16 match.

Domestic netizens praised her, saying, "Coach Oh Hyeri is amazing," "This is what it means to stand up wholeheartedly for your student," and "She is reliable."

Meanwhile, Seo Geon-woo lost the men's 80kg bronze medal match on the 9th to Eddy Hrnic (Denmark) with round scores of 0-2 (2-15, 8-11). Coach Oh expressed regret, saying, "Geon-woo worked harder than anyone else, even giving up his favorite cola." Seo said, "My coach went through a lot of hardship because of me, and I am sorry I couldn't repay her. If I hadn't done what I did in the round of 16, I might have lost."

Coach Oh is the gold medalist in the women's 67kg Taekwondo category at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. She was selected as a coach for the national Taekwondo team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and currently serves as a professor in the Department of Physical Education at the College of Sports Science, Korea National Sport University.