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Tokyo Olympics 2020 Day 1 Taekwondo Results: 17-Year-Old Iglesias Left Heartbroken in Women’s 49kg Category Gold Medal Match
Taekwondo kicked off at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 with the women’s 49kg category. After a series of competitive matches, World No. 1 Panipak Wongpattanakit displayed her dominance by clinching her first Olympic gold medal.
The Thai athlete defeated Spain’s Adriana Cerezo Iglesias to secure her country’s first gold medal in Tokyo. Abishag Semberg of Israel and Tijana Bogdanovic of Serbia secured the two bronze medals in the category.
Wongpattanakit edges Iglesias to taste gold in taekwondo at Tokyo Olympics 2020
During the day, Wongpattanakit won her matches before the final in convincing fashion. In fact, she didn’t score lower than 20 points in the three matches she contested before reaching the final.
While she scored over 30 points in just one match, Iglesias did so in two. The Spaniard won two out of her three matches heading to the final due to the points gap to her opponent instead of the final score. This set up an exciting clash between the World No. 23 and the World No. 1.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Taekwondo – Women’s Flyweight – 49kg – Gold medal match – Makuhari Messe Hall A, Chiba, Japan – July 24, 2021. Adriana Cerezo Iglesias of Spain congratulates Panipak Wongphatthanakit of Thailand for winning gold REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Despite the difference in world rankings, their contest stole the show in the category. While they traded several effective shots, neither could take proper control of the match. Ultimately, the Thai won by the narrowest of margins, with the final score 11-10.
Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand has won gold in the women’s #taekwondo -49kg category at #Tokyo2020 #UnitedByEmotion | #StrongerTogether | @WorldTaekwondo1 | #Olympics
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 24, 2021
Although Iglesias clinched silver, she put on an excellent display under the lights at just 17 years old. One can expect the Spaniard to get a major increase in her current #23 world ranking in the future.
Semberg becomes Israel’s youngest ever Olympic medalist
Israeli athlete Abishag Semberg arguably had the longest day of all taekwondo athletes today. However, the 19-year-old didn’t disappoint as she fought her way to win a bronze medal in Tokyo. Despite losing to Panipak in the Round of 16, she delivered a strong performance in the repechage to make the bronze medal match, where she defeated Turkey’s Rukiye Yildirim.
In addition, she became Israeli’s youngest Olympic medalist by taking Bronze in Tokyo.
Israeli Olympian Avishag Samberg won a bronze medal in taekwondo!
We are so proud of you! #Olympics #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/v9dfbuU8AH
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) July 24, 2021
Although she clinched a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bogdanovic had to settle for Bronze in Tokyo. The World No. 5 lost to Iglesias in the Round of 16, but made a recovery of her own to win her bronze medal match against Japan’s Miyu Yamada.
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