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| Lee Dae-hoon celebrates with the national flag after winning a bronze medal in the men's 68kg match at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics at Carioca Arena 3, Thursday. / Yonhap |
Bronze medalist displays true Olympic spirit
By Baek Byung-yeul
Taekwondo fighter Lee Dae-hoon was South Korea's probable gold medal winner in the men's 68 kg weight class at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Though he fell short of expectations, clinching one of two bronze medals in the category, Lee shined more than anyone, displaying how the Olympic spirit is alive in taekwondo and how exciting taekwondo is.
Lee, who was a ruler in his primary weight class of 63 kg, reduced his weight to compete in the 58 kg class for the 2012 London Olympics as there is no such category as 63kg in the Olympics. After facing difficulties losing weight, however, Lee placed second as he lost to Spain's Joel Gonzalez in the final at London.
Lee, who decided to compete in a heavier weight class in the following Olympics, began competing in the 68 kg class at international competitions beginning last year and was ranked second in the world.
However, his dream to stand atop the Olympic podium has gone for naught, Thursday, as the 24-year-old was stunned by the world no. 40 Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan 11-8 in the quarterfinal.
Although the loss was disappointing for him, Lee didn't turn on his heels and leave the stage. Instead, he gave a big applause to Abughaush and raised the Jordanian's hand up to celebrate the win.
"When a loser can't accept defeat, then the winner won't be able to enjoy his victory," Lee said. "But if the loser accepts the results, the winner can enjoy it even more. I thought it was all part of good sportsmanship."
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| South Korean taekwondo fighter Lee Dae-hoon, right, delivers an axe kick to the head of Jaouad Achab of Belgium, left, in the men's 68 kg class bronze medal match at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics at Carioca Arena 3, Thursday. / Yonhap |
Despite his defeat in the quarterfinals, Lee received a second chance in the repechage as Abughaush could reach the final. After beating Ahmed Ghofran of Egypt 14-6 in the repechage, Lee met the world's top competitor Jaouad Achab of Belgium in the bronze medal match.
The bronze match was a hard-fought bout full of high kicks.
Achab looked more dangerous in the beginning, landing a triple round-kick combo. The Belgian took the lead as he fired a three-point round kick to Lee's head.
It was Lee's turn in the second. With his out-of-nowhere kick, Lee evened the match at 3-3 and went ahead at 4-3 with a follow-up body kick. The second round ended in a draw at 4-4 as Achab landed an equalizer again.
The Belgian took a 5-4 lead in the third, but Lee threw an axe kick to make the score 7-5 and then another head kick for a 10-5 lead. Achab pushed hard with his flurry of kicks but that was it.
Despite the disappointing results, Lee said his bronze meant as much as the gold would have.
"Though I lost in the quarterfinals, I did my best as I received the precious repechage. And I am very glad to bring home the bronze. To me, it is more priceless than the gold medal," he said.
President Park Geun-hye also praised Lee's sportsmanship and performance at the Rio Olympics. "Our country is proud of Lee Dae-hoon who showed the spirit of taekwondo to the world while truly enjoying the competition himself," Park said in her congratulatory letter to Lee, Friday.
