Taekwondo's Lee Da-bin, thrilling comeback win over Zhou Zhechi, Hangzhou AG Gold... Advances to semifinals [Paris Olympics]

Dramatic Comeback Victory in Round 3... Korea's 14th Gold Medal Challenge

Taekwondo national team member Lee Da-bin (Seoul Metropolitan Government) secured a comeback victory in the 3rd round against her rival and advanced to the Olympic semifinals.

On the 10th (local time), at the Grand Palais Taekwondo arena in Paris, France, Lee Da-bin of Korea competed against Petra Stolbova of the Czech Republic in the round of 16 of the women's 67kg Taekwondo event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 10th (Korean time), Lee Da-bin defeated Zhou Zhechi (China) with a round score of 2-1 (4-2 3-8 7-6) in the women's taekwondo 67kg quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, advancing to the semifinals.

This is Lee Da-bin's second Olympic appearance. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, she demonstrated fighting spirit by winning a precious silver medal despite facing injury risks.

In this tournament, Lee Da-bin showed a strong start with light condition. Her quarterfinal opponent, Zhou Zhechi, was the finalist at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games, where Lee lost 1-2 (9-8 2-9 8-21), preventing Korea's women's taekwondo team from achieving a historic three consecutive titles.

In the first round, Lee Da-bin scored the first point by quickly punching the torso, then immediately added 3 points with a head attack, taking a 4-0 lead. Zhou Zhechi scored 2 points with a body kick, but Lee switched to defensive play with 10 seconds remaining and maintained her score to win the first round 4-2.

In the second round, both players started tied at 3-3 after each scoring 3 points with head strikes. Then Zhou Zhechi struck Lee Da-bin's torso to take a 5-3 lead. Lee's kick grazed Zhou's head but was not counted as a score. Facing fierce counterattacks, Lee conceded points consecutively, losing the second round 3-8.

In the final third round, Lee Da-bin staged an exhilarating comeback. Zhou Zhechi continued with head, torso, and head attacks, building a 5-0 lead. With 1 minute 30 seconds left, Lee added 2 points with a torso attack, and with 33 seconds remaining, she scored 3 more points with a head attack. Trailing 5-6 by one point, Zhou Zhechi received two consecutive penalties, allowing Lee Da-bin to take a 1-point lead. Lee held on for the remaining 3.5 seconds, and the match ended with her final victory, securing a spot in the semifinals.

Lee Da-bin will compete in the semifinals at the same venue at 11:49 PM shortly after.

Having achieved continuous success in various international competitions such as the World Championships, Asian Games, and Asian Championships, Lee Da-bin will accomplish the grand slam if she reaches the top at the Paris Olympics.