Korean men's Taekwondo garners four consecutive wins at World Championships

Korean men's Taekwondo is once again confirmed to be the strongest in the world. At the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships, which ended on Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan, Korea won the overall championship for the fourth consecutive year.

On the first day of the tournament, on Tuesday, Korea succeeded in its first medal hunt with Jin Ho-jun's silver medal in the men's 68-kg class. On Wednesday, Bae Jun-seo won the first gold medal in the men's 58-kg class, followed by Kang Sang-hyun in the men's 87-kg class and Park Tae-joon (pictured) in the men's 54-kg class. The Korean men's team earned a total of 410 points with a total of three gold medals and one silver medal at this event, ranking first overall for four consecutive years since the 2017 Muju Games. The men's team has won the overall championship 24 times since its inception in 1973, except for two championships.

Park Tae-joon, who staged a heated batting match in his debut match at the World Championships, was selected as the MVP of the tournament. Ahn Hong-yeop, coach of Suwon City Hall, who joined the tournament as the national team leader and led Korea to the overall victory, received the best coach award.

In this World Championship, which was held as a prelude to the Paris Olympics next year, a “generational shift” was prominently displayed. There were a total of 64 medalists (2 bronze medalists) in each of the eight men's and women's weight classes, and more than half of them, 35 (54%), won their first individual medals. Nine of the 16 gold medalists were also their first individual gold medals. The Korean men's team's Bae Jun-seo, Kang Sang-hyun, and Park Tae-joon all won their first individual gold medal at the World Championships, and their average age is only 21.

The next World Championships will be held in 2025 in Wuxi, China.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com