Bronze for taekwondo practitioner Jin Ho-jun at Hangzhou Asian Games

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Published: 27 Sep. 2023, 18:03 Updated: 27 Sep. 2023, 18:14

Bronze for taekwondo practitioner Jin Ho-jun at Hangzhou Asian Games

Korean taekwondo practitioner Jin Ho-jun, right, kicks Rashitov Ulugbek of Uzbekistan in the men’s -68kg semifinal at the Hangzhou Asian Games held at Lin'an Sports Culture Convention & Exhibition Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Korean taekwondo practitioner Jin Ho-jun lost 2-0 to Rashitov Ulugbek of Uzbekistan in the men’s -68kg semifinal at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday, settling for a bronze.

In Asiad taekwondo, there is no third-place match, with the two losers from the semifinals both earning bronze.

The semifinal took place at Lin'an Sports Culture Convention & Exhibition Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China and the first round was neck-and-neck until Ulugbek managed nine points at the end of the round to win it 16-9.

Jin failed to block Ulugbek’s attack effectively during the second round and only scored seven points, allowing him to win the round 16-7 for a final score of 2-0.

Jin’s bronze will not be Korea’s only medal in taekwondo on Wednesday, as Park Woo-hyeok reached the final of the men’s -80kg final. Park is due to face Elsharabaty Saleh of Jordan.

Korea adds another gold in taekwondo as Park Hye-jin triumphs

Korea has secured four gold, one silver and two bronze so far in taekwondo.

Taekwondo is one of the sports that Korea has the best chance of securing multiple medals in this year, as it has been the winningest country in the tournament with 89 medals to date.

They also claimed the most medals in 2018, winning five gold, five silver and two bronze in taekwondo.

The taekwondo schedule will wrap up on Thursday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]