Taekwondo's Zhang Jun 'excited' to take silver at Taiyuan Grand Prix to Paris Olympics

After Hangzhou AG, Park loses weight again to take bronze medal in valuable medal contest

Taekwondo's Zhang Jun in Grand Prix medal hunt

Taekwondo sensation Zhang Jun competes in the men's 58kg category during the third series of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Taiyuan 2023 at the Shanxi Sports Center in Taiyuan, China, on Tuesday. [Courtesy of World Taekwondo. Redistribution and DB prohibited].

Korean national taekwondo team member Jang Joon (KOGAS) won a silver medal at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix and moved closer to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Jang won silver in the men's 58kg category at the third series of the Taiyuan 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix at the Shanxi Sports Center in Taiyuan, China, on Tuesday.

Zhang Jun defeated Adrian Vicente of Spain in the semifinals with a round score of 2-0 (12-11 14-6), but fell short of the gold medal as he lost to Mohamed Khalil Zendoubi (Tunisia) in the final with a round score of 1-2 (2-1 11-17 8-11).

"I was physically and mentally tired after competing after making weight again just a week after the Asian Games," he told WT after the match, "It wasn't the gold medal I was hoping for, but I'm happy with the valuable ranking points I gained."

Zhang Jun led the world rankings with 362.56 ranking points through August, and added 40.00 points by winning gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

He also won a silver medal at the event, which added another 36.00 points.

Meanwhile, Park Tae-joon (Kyung Hee University), who is competing for an Olympic spot in the same weight class, earned 327.62 points through August and added 21.60 points for his bronze medal at this event.

One Olympic ticket is awarded to one country per weight class.

The Korean Taekwondo Association has not yet decided whether the highest-ranked athlete in a given weight class will be awarded a ticket or will have to compete in domestic trials.

Meanwhile, Kang Mir (Yeongcheon City Hall), who competed in the women's 49-kilogram category, met her "biological sister" Kang Bora (Yeongcheon City Hall) in the quarterfinals, but after Kang Bora withdrew due to injury, Kang Mir advanced to the semifinals and won the bronze medal.

With her medal, Kang Mir also qualified for the WT Manchester Grand Prix Final in December.

Lee Ah-myung (Goyang City Hall) won bronze in the women's 57kg category, returning to the podium four years after the 2019 Sofia Grand Prix. 스포츠토토링크