South Korea's Jang Jun claimed the gold medal in his first Asiad taekwondo appearance, winning the men's -58kg title at the 19th Asian Games in China on Monday.
He defeated Mahdi Hajimousaeinafouti of Iran 2-0 in the gold medal match for the men's -58kg competition at Lin'an Sports Culture & Exhibition Centre in the host city of Hangzhou.
The victory brought Jang the first Asiad medal and South Korea the third gold from the Korean martial art following two in the poomsae event held on the previous day.
The 23-year taekwondo athlete is a strong gold medal contender in the flyweight -58kg discipline in Hangzhou for his outstanding performances in recent years.
He won bronze in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021 and finished second in the 2022 world championships.
Jang demonstrated his world-class competence at the Asian Games, never losing a round in four matches, including the final that he has participated in.
In the final, he won the first round 5-4 thanks to a three-point kick to the head. In the second round, Jang was down 1-4 after losing three straight points to Hajimousaeinafouti. But he kicked the opponent's head to earn three points with four seconds remaining to tie at 4-4.
He said he had competed in many tournaments at home and abroad in the run-up to the Hangzhou Asian Games and such experiences have helped him stay in good form for the quadrennial competition, which is the first multisport event held without any COVID-19-related restrictions.
"Before the Tokyo Olympics, I was forced to take a hiatus," he told reporters. "This time, I kept competing and could learn about opponents."
The upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics is now on the mind of the Asian Games champion.
"There are many young athletes coming up through the ranks," said Jang, referring to the 19-year old silver medalist. "I'll check videos of those young athletes and study them to prepare for the Paris Olympics."
Meanwhile, South Korea won silver in the mixed gender team taekwondo competition, losing to host China 84-77 in the final.
The mixed team event was first introduced to the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Source: Yonhap News Agency