(2nd LD) (Olympics) S Korea-taekwondo
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| ▲ Lee Dae-hoon of South Korea reacts to his loss to Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan in the round of 16 match in the men's 68kg taekwondo event at the Tokyo Olympics at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, Japan, on July 25, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Lee Dae-hoon of South Korea (R) congratulates Zhao Shuai of China after Zhao's victory in the bronze medal match in the men's 66kg taekwondo event at the Tokyo Olympics at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, Japan, on July 25, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Lee Dae-hoon of South Korea reacts to his loss to Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan in the round of 16 match in the men's 68kg taekwondo event at the Tokyo Olympics at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, Japan, on July 25, 2021. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) (Olympics) S Korea-taekwondo
(2nd LD) (Olympics) Taekwondo star Lee Dae-hoon stunned early, retires after losing bronze medal match
(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; ADDS byline, photos, details throughout)
By Yoo Jee-ho
CHIBA, Japan, July 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korean taekwondo star Lee Dae-hoon came up just short of winning his third Olympic medal on Sunday, losing in the bronze medal match in the men's 68kg event at the Tokyo Games and then announcing his retirement soon afterward.
Lee lost to Zhao Shuai of China 17-15 in the bronze medal contest at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, east of Tokyo.
Lee trailed 4-3 after Round 1, after giving up two points on a kick to the body with 56 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
In the next round, Lee rallied from 7-3 down to take a 10-7 lead. But it was gone in a hurry when Zhao landed a turning kick to the body, worth four points.
Lee pulled into a tie at 11-11 with a punch to the body early in Round 3, only to see Zhao go up by 13-11 with a kick to the trunk.
Another kick to the body gave Zhao a 17-12 lead, and the Chinese held on for the medal.
Lee called it quits only moments after that loss. He leaves the court with three world titles, three gold medals from Asian Games, and a silver from the 2012 Olympics and a 2016 Olympic bronze. The coveted gold medal eluded him until the end.
Earlier Sunday, Lee suffered a shocking loss to Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan 21-19 in the round of 16
Lee only snuck into the repechage when Rashitov reached the gold medal match. He had to beat two opponents just to make it to the bronze medal contest, and ran out of steam in the end.
Lee, 29, is one of the most accomplished taekwondo practitioners of his generation, but an Olympic gold has proven elusive for the three-time world champion.
Lee won a silver in the 58kg class in his Olympic debut in 2012. He moved up to 68kg for the 2016 Olympics but took bronze. He became only the third South Korean taekwondo athlete to compete in three straight Olympics on Sunday, but the feat was overshadowed by the stunning defeat.
Lee came in ranked No. 1 in the world in his class, while Rashitov had just moved up from 58kg to 68kg. With no ranking position, he received the lowest seed, 17th.
The other taekwondo athlete in action Sunday, Lee Ahreum in the women's 57kg, suffered a 20-18 loss to Lo Chia-Ling of Chinese Taipei in the round of 16.
South Korea, the birthplace of taekwondo, is off to a shaky start in its Tokyo campaign. On Saturday, Jang Jun, a heavy gold medal favorite in the men's 58kg, settled for bronze, while Sim Jae-young, a two-time world champion in the women's 49kg, was knocked out in the quarterfinals.
South Korea sent six athletes to taekwondo at this year's Olympics, with an eye on two to three gold medals.
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