'Dark Horse'Seo Gun-woo (Korea National Sports University) succeeded in advancing to the semifinals.
Seo Kun-woo won 2-0 (4-42-2) against Brazil's Enrique Fernandez in the men's 80kg quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics at Grand Palais in Paris, France on the 9th (Korea time). Seo Kun-woo, who managed to reach the quarterfinals, gained momentum and reached the semifinals. Two more wins and it's a gold medal. In Korean Taekwondo, Park Tae-joon (Kyung Hee University) of the men's 58kg class and Kim Yoo-jin (Ulsan Sports Council) of the women's 57kg class won the gold medal for two consecutive days.
Seo Kun-woo survived in the round of 16 earlier. They came from behind to win 2-1 (6-816-16 14-1) over Chile's Joaquin Churchill Martinez.
In the first round, Seo Kun-woo struggled with the opponent's strong attack. He allowed a kick after turning, and eventually gave up the first round with a score of 6-8. The situation was not good in the second round, which was the end of the loss. He took the lead with a series of body attacks, but was pushed back 6-15 by allowing a series of face attacks following a rotating attack. The game seemed to end as it was, but Seo Kun-woo did not give up. He made a series of fierce kicks. Following the rotational attack, he succeeded in kicking his torso. There was a series of attacks with one second left. The match ended 14-16, but the video review found that the body kick was recognized as a rotational attack, and Sun Kun-woo added four points at a stroke. The second round concluded 16-16.
In the case of a round tie, the winner will be determined in the order of the player with more points won by the rotation, the player with more points in the order of head-body-fist-deductible points, and the player with the most effective hitting of the electronic ball. The referee declared Martinez's victory. Then Seo Gun-woo complained to the referee, and coach Oh Hye-ri ran up to the mat and raised an objection. Coach Oh strongly protested for 10 seconds on the field between the referee and the headquarters seat.
In response, game officials gathered together to examine each movement and scene and review whether the decision was made properly in a tie. The result was a reversal. Seo Kun-woo's victory in the second round was recognized. While Martinez made one revolving attack, Seo Kun-woo made two. Due to an error in prioritization, this part was not accurately aggregated, and the error was eventually corrected through a review.
According to the World Taekwondo Federation (WT), there is no problem in regulation that the results have been completely reversed since the winner of the round was announced. If the operation is inexperienced, the results can be announced again within 30 minutes after the end.
WT started the set system from this tournament to induce more interesting games. Until the last Tokyo Games, the game was decided by cumulative points until the third round, and the player who scored two points first was recognized as the winner in the fourth round when the score was tied. From this competition, the player who takes the two rounds first will win by determining the outcome of each round. WT set the standard for tie in detail in accordance with the new regulations, and Seo Kun-woo revived accordingly.
Seo Kun-woo, who won the second round, showed off his overwhelming skills in the third round, winning 14-1 and succeeding in a dramatic come-from-behind victory. It was a come-from-behind victory made by coach Oh's base, who was familiar with WT's detailed regulations.
Seo Kun-woo, who overcame the crisis, met Fernandez in the quarterfinals. There was a careful game at the beginning of the first round. The 54-second body kick was made at the same time, with a 2-2 confrontation. Since then, Seo Kun-woo's kicking of the torso has succeeded once again and took the lead. However, he finished 4-4 with consecutive points deducted due to passive play in the last minute, but Seo Kun-woo won because he had more effective points.
In the second round, Seo Kun-woo's kicking of the body was recognized in 32 seconds. With points deducted 2-1. Seo Gun-woo was deducted again to make it 2-2, but he won ahead of the effective shot.
Seo Kun-woo was the dark horse that the national team expected. Last media day, Taekwondo team coach Lee Chang-gun expressed hope that Seo Gun-woo might have an accident" expressed his intentions.
Seo Kun-woo has already written a new history. This is the first time for Korean Taekwondo to compete in the Olympics in this weight class. While I'm at it, I'm trying to win a medal. Manager Lee said, `All the other players are working hard, but Seo Kun-woo trains a lot. It's full of energy. Although his opponent is ahead of him in physical conditions and power, Seo Kun-woo praised him, saying, "He has the physical strength to push him from start to finish."
There was enough competitiveness. At the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) World Grand Prix Final held in December last year, he beat Olympic No. 1 Simone Alessio of Italy, 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Salih El-Sharabati of Jordan, and bronze medalist Safe Aisa of Egypt. He is also ranked fourth in the Olympics. Seo Kun-woo, who added strength to his strong physical strength, said he could win a gold medal depending on his condition on the day. Seo Kun-woo, who revived in the first round, continued his dream of winning the gold medal.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
