[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Iran grabbed the men’s overall title at the just-ended WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Gyeongju, Korea on May 6, 2011.
It marked the first time that Korea failed to retain the men’s overall title in the history of the biennial World Taekwondo Championships.
Korea managed to clinch the women’s overall title at the just-ended World Championships, which took place at the Gyeongju Indoor Stadium. China won the women’s overall title at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships, the first ever in World Championships history.
In the men’s division, Iran garnered three gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals for a total of 74 points, followed by Korea with two gold medals and two silvers for 61 points. Turkey came next with one gold, one silver and one bronze for 48 points, followed by Thailand with one gold, one silver and one bronze for 37 points, and Spain with one gold and one bronze for 36 points.
In the women’s category, Korea won one gold, two silvers and three bronzes for 58 points, followed by China with two golds and two silvers for 55 points, and France with two golds and one bronze for 45 points. Croatia came next with one gold and one silver for 35 points, and Turkey with three bronzes for 31 points.
The Gyeongju World Championships featured protector and the scoring system, formerly known as ectronic protectors, and an instant video replay system, helping make the biennial event the most transparent and fairest competition ever.
The event drew athletes and officials from a record 149 countries on the entry basis. All the semifinal and final matches were broadcast live by Korea’s KBS TV and a dozen major TV stations around the world.
Croatia’s Ana Zaninovic was chosen as the female Most Valuable Player of the championships, while Turkey’s Servet Tazegul became the male Most Valuable Player.
The Good Fighting Spirit Awards went to Greece and Gabon, while the Active Participation Prizes went to Kazakhstan and Puerto Rico.
The Best Referee Awards went to Mr. Jose Luis Gonzalo Morales of Spain, Mrs. Neydis Tavarez of Puerto Rico, Mr. Abubakn Kordi of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Young Hwan Choi of Korea, and Mr. Stephen Liu of New Zealand..
Iran’s Reza Mehmandoust earned the male Best Coach Award, while Korea’s Maeng Gon Kim won the female Best Coach Award.
On the final day of the World Taekwondo Championships on May 6, 2011, France and Korea won two gold medals each, while Iran grabbed one gold.
In the women’s -73kg weight category, France’s Gwladys Epangue, the gold medalist at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships, earned her country the first gold medal at the Gyeongju Championships as she beat Korea’s Hye Ri Oh with a superiority victory.
Epangue, the bronze medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, advanced to the final match with a 5-0 victory over Russia’s Anastasia Baryshnikova, the bronze medalist at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships.
The bronze medal in the women’s division went to Russian Baryshnikova and Serbia’s Milica Mandic.
In the men’s -63kg final match, Korea’s Dae Hoon Lee beat Great Britain’s Michael Paul Harvey, the gold medalist at the 2010 Belgian Open, 5-2 to win the gold.
The bronze went to Thailand’s Nacha Punthong and Vietnam’s Chau Le Huynh.
In the men’s -87kg final match, Iran’s Yousef Karami, the bronze medalist at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships, beat Korea’s Dong Min Cha, the gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, 8-6 for the gold medal.
Italy’s Carlo Molfetta, the gold medalist at the 2010 European Taekwondo Championships, and Spain’s Jon Garcia, the bronze medalist at the 2010 European Taekwondo Championships, shared the bronze medal in the -87kg weight category.
In the women’s +73kg weight division, France’s Anne Caroline Graffe, the silver medal winner at the 2010 European Taekwondo Championships, brushed aside a stiff challenge from Korea’s Sae Bom An in the final match to grab the gold medal. Graffe won the final match 1-0.
The bronze went to Spain’s Rosana Simon and Russia’s Olga Ivanova in the women’s category.
In the men’s +87kg weight category, Korea’s Chol Ho Jo defeated Uzbekistan’s Akmal Irgashev, the bronze medalist at the 2010 Asian Games, 4-0 to earn his country the second gold medal in the men’s division.
Iran’s Kourosh Rajoly and Cyprus’ Andreas Stylianou shared the bronze medal in the division.