Britain, Turkey claim 1st Olympic taekwondo golds
Baku, August 10 (AZERTAC). Britain and Turkey won their first gold medals in Olympic taekwondo on Thursday.
Jade Jones of Britain defeated China`s Hou Yuzhuo 6-4 in a cagey final in which both fighters struggled to score. Jones eventually got past Hou`s blocks and landed several body shots.
Earlier in the day, she had ousted the category`s top seed, Taiwanese fighter Tseng Li-Cheng, in a tense semifinal after a burst of combination kicks in the last minute. Tseng later won a bronze.
Jones was in sharp form Thursday, delivering head shots and successfully jamming opponents` attempts to score on her.
Before the final, Jones said she was intent on victory.
"I came here to get gold," she said.
The 19-year-old previously won gold at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
The other bronze medal was won by France`s Marlene Harnois.
In the men`s division, world No. 1 Servet Tazegul of Turkey spun his way to victory, defeating Iran`s Mohammad Bagheri Motamed in a close-fought final in which Tazegul was often on the attack but rarely scored.
Throughout Thursday, Tazegul`s speedy footwork seemed to confuse his opponents, many of whom tried to adapt to his high-paced fight style. None succeeded.
The 23-year-old Tazegul is the world No. 1 and is known for forcing his opponents to adapt to his high-paced fight style. On Thursday, none was able to match his speedy footwork or the fluidity of his kicks.
Before the final, Tazegul said he wanted to win for Turkey.
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