CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct 2, 2024) - There were gold medallists from four different nations on the second day of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, Korea as the world’s most talented young athletes lit up the competition.
Amirmohammad Ashrafi earned Iran’s third gold medal of the Championships in the first final of the day in the men’s +78kg weight division, and Yumin Lee secured Korea’s second with her triumph in the women’s -46kg.
There were also golds for Magdalena Matic of Croatia in the women’s +68kg and Dilmurodjon Marufjonov of Uzbekistan in the men’s -45kg.
To underline the global strength and appeal of Taekwondo, the eight finalists on day two came from eight different nations.
Men’s +78kg
Ashrafi delivered an accomplished display against Australia’s Aiden Stilley to take the first gold of the evening. He used his height and leg length to maximum effect in both rounds, winning the first 11-2 and the second by technical superiority as his 15-point lead gave him for a richly deserved triumph.
That completed a day in which Ashrafi won all of his matches without dropping a round, including his semi-final against Italy’s Matteo De Angelis courtesy of a powerful spinning head kick just over 30 seconds into the contest.
De Angelis earned a bronze medal along with Spain’s Iván Lysenko Serrano, who was beaten by Stilley in the semi-finals.
Women’s +68kg
Croatian Matic overcame the challenge of the USA’s Naomi Alade in two rounds. She edged the first 7-5 through a strong shot to the body with just 10 seconds remaining, and managed the second superbly to win it 5-1 and take the gold.
Matic had earlier won both rounds 7-0 against Kimi Laurene Ossin of Côte d'Ivoire in her semi-final, and triumphed in two rounds in each of her matches.
Alade also progressed to the final without losing a round, including a victory against Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Palina Mikhalchuk in the semi-finals. Ossin and Mikhalchuk completed the podium with their bronze medals.
Men’s -45kg
Marufjonov and Mexico’s Jorge Armando Rodríguez Cordero delivered a thrilling match-up in the final. A high-scoring first round went 18-15 in Marufjonov’s favour, and he secured a 14-6 victory in the second to earn Uzbekistan’s first gold of the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships.
Marufjonov had been a stand-out performer throughout the competition, including in the semi-final when he won both rounds against Canada’s Zach Gillis by technical superiority.
Rodríguez Cordero’s semi-final was also a gripping tie as he staged a terrific comeback to recover from losing the first round 10-3 to Korea’s Sangwon Jang. Gillis and Jang both took bronze medals.
Women’s -46kg
Lee ensured host nation Korea finished with a gold medal on day two of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships as she overcame Costa Rica’s Jaycee Bassett. Lee made a fast start and took the first round by technical superiority. Although Bassett put up a strong showing in the second round and led 2-1 with less than 40 seconds remaining, proficient head kicking in the closing stages from Lee took the match away from her opponent and she prevailed 11-2.
It was an impressive day for Lee, who did not drop a round throughout the competition.
Bronze medals went to France’s Oumaïma Allassak, who was beaten by Lee in the semi-finals, and Spain’s Violeta Díaz Arribas who was edged out by Bassett.
The World Taekwondo Junior Championships continues tomorrow with the men’s -55kg and -51kg and women’s -63kg events.
