W -62kg category:
54
TAEKWONDO Official Publication of WT
The first semi-final should have pitted Masoud “The Warrior” Hajizavareh of Iran against Maksim Khramtcov of Russia, but the veteran Iranian had been injured the previous day, and did not appear on the floor, granting Khramtcov a by. The second semi-final encounter featured Nikita Rafalovich of Uzbekistan, the 2015 silver medalist, fighting Kairat Sarymsakov of Kazakhstan. Round 1 started with both lads feeling each other out from range, using front-leg probing kicks. The first point on the board was a penalty against Sarymsakov, giving the round to Rafalovich, 1-0. In the second, the Uzbek extended his lead with a round kick to the body – then, in a flurry of action, the scores rose, 5-3 to the Kazak. After some edge-ofthe-mats action, the second ended with Rafalovich ahead, 6-5. In the third, the points rose to 8-6, then the two engaged in some torrid clinchwork that ended with the board at 7-8. More close-in pushing took the board to 8-8. There were 11 seconds left – showdown! Both kicked at the same time – no score – then the Uzbek went on the attack – but without result. So it went to golden point. It was the Kazak who launched a barrage of attacks, but the Uzbek scored to the body, taking him to the finals. The championship title match saw the fresh Khramtcov do battle with Rafalovich – who had endured an exhausting match against Sarymsakov. From the opening buzzer, Khramtcov surged forward with high attacks, to vocal support from a noisy Russian crowd. But Rafalovich danced out of trouble and the first ended scoreless. In Round 2, the first point of the match was a penalty against the Russian. Both fighters were sparring from range but not entering danger-close, and the referee demanded action. Finally, the Russian connected with a body shot, 2-1. The round ended on that score. In the third, Kramtcov continued attacking forward with a machine-gun high round kick; the Uzbek used his feet to stay out of trouble and conserve energy. But his economical tactics paid off as he landed a round kick to the body, going 3-2 up. The Russian returned fire with a body kick of his own, 4-3. With 34 seconds left and a world title on the line, the referee again called on the two to fight. The Russian responded, and landed another shot, going 6-3 up. In the final seconds Rafalovich finally exploded into all-out attack, but Khramtcov held off the charge to capture the title – then dashed across the arena streaming a Russian tricolor: It was a first world championship title for a Russian male. Rafalovich won silver, while Sarymsakov and Hajizavareh – wearing a neck brace – went home with bronzes. The medals were presented by IOC Member Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Committee and World Taekwondo Council Member Driss El-Hilali.
Championships
2017 World Taekwondo Championships
The first semi-final saw Rio 2016 bronze medalist Ruth Gbagbi of Cote d’Ivoire go into action against So-hee Kim of Korea. With Gbagbi five points up in the first round, Kim went down in a bruising clash on the edge of the mats, her leg twisting. Clutching her knee and unable to continue, Kim fell – leaving the field to the African. The second semi pitched the unheralded Tatiana Kuzmina of Russia against Rio 2016 bronze medalist Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin, a heroine in her native Iran for winning her country its first-ever female Olympic medal. The Russian fought an ambidextrous fight and led in the first two rounds, but the Iranian showed her quality and came back in the third to win it, 9-6. The final was a battle of styles and physiques: The powerful, combative Gbagbi and the slender, tactical Alizadeh Zenoorin. Round 1 started with the Iranian drawing first blood with a body kick, but Gbagbi looking ultra-intimidating with her forward-fighting, physical game – the impact of her kicks resounded around the stadium. The first ended 12-5 to the African. In the second, the Iranian did well to raise her score marginally in the face of relentless stabbing kicks from Gbagbi, who ended the round comfortably ahead, 15-9. In the third Alizadeh Zenoorin went on to the offensive, but to no avail: She visited the mats repeatedly as the African warrior relentlessly blasted through her defenses. It ended 19-9 – a convincing victory and a gold for Gbagbi. Silver was won by Alizadeh Zenoorin; bronzes were taken by Kim and Kuzmina.
M-74kg category:
55