Information taken from http://www.usa-taekwondo.us/
Steven Lopez Rebounds to Win Olympic Bronze Medal
August 22, 2008
After suffering his first-ever defeat in three Olympic Games, and first loss in six years, welterweight Steven Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas) rebounded to win a bronze medal Friday night at the Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium. Italy's Mauro Sarmiento, the eventual silver medalist, defeated Lopez in sudden-death overtime in the quarterfinal round. When Sarmiento advanced to the finals, Lopez was entered into the repechage for one of two bronze medals. Lopez defeated Sebastien Konan from the Ivory Coast, 3-0, and then defeated Azerbaijan's Rashad Ahmadov for the bronze medal, 3-2. Iran's Hadi Saei won the gold medal."I came here expecting to win a gold medal, but I guess it wasn't in the cards today," said Lopez. "I should have been in the finals. It's hard, but I'm happy with the bronze. It's better than nothing. I have two ways to look at it, either succumb to it and think 'I should have been in the finals', but a champion goes out there with dignity and I wanted to prove to myself and others that I am the best."Lopez also said he plans to compete again at the 2012 Olympics."It encourages me to keep going," he said about his future. "I am upset. I love winning, I hate losing. And in no way does this discourage me from wanting to go to the 2012 Olympic Games."The bronze medal gives the Lopez siblings three medals at the Beijing Games. Diana Lopez captured bronze in the women's featherweight division and Mark Lopez was the silver medalist in the men's featherweight class."We are extremely happy with our athletes' performance and effort here in Beijing," said USA Taekwondo CEO David Askinas. "In this most historic Olympics we made history with one family winning three Olympic medals. Steven, Mark and Diana are true champions of the sport. Under difficult circumstances they fought hard and represented our country with honor and dignity. We understand that taekwondo is a difficult sport to officiate. Our federation has issues they need to confront. Nonetheless, my sincere disappointment I feel for our athletes is tempered by the knowledge that they have strived and achieved great things. This, of course, includes our future star Charlotte Craig. She was a great teammate and gave her all, just falling short of the semis by one point. We all expect great things from her in the future."NOTE: The views expressed by the U.S. Olympic Head of Team for Taekwondo, as published in some news articles regarding the Olympic taekwondo competition, do not necessarily reflect the views of USA Taekwondo. USAT continues to work with the World Taekwondo Federation to ensure a level playing field for all athletes.
Mark Lopez Takes Olympic Silver Medal, Diana Lopez Wins Bronze
August 21, 2008
Men's featherweight Mark Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas) took the Olympic silver medal on Thursday at the Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium. Lopez lost the gold medal match to Korea's Son Taejin, 3-2, after Taejin scored the winning point in the final seconds of the third round."Of course I wanted the gold medal," said Mark Lopez. "I came here for the gold medal but I got silver and you've got to be happy with that."Mark's younger sister, Diana Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas), also captured an Olympic medal on Thursday winning the bronze medal in the women's featherweight division. She defeated Italy's Veronica Calabrese in sudden death overtime to claim the medal."I am just so happy, so emotional," Diana Lopez said. "To compete at this level and at this venue is an honor."Eldest brother Jean Lopez, coached both his younger siblings to their podium finishes."This time she really honed in on what I've been saying to her," Jean Lopez said about Diana's bronze medal bout. "I said she didn't have this oppportunity before and it might not be something that she gets the opportunity to do again. I told her that the medal is her hardware. Her kids will brag about this medal and her grandkids will brag about this medal."The fourth member of the Lopez family, men's welterweight Steven Lopez, will try for his third straight Olympic gold medal on Friday. His first match is at 11:30 a.m. (11:30 p.m. EDT Thursday). All matches can be seen live at http://www.nbcolympics.com/.
Charlotte Craig Does Not Advance to Olympic Repechage
August 20, 2008
After losing her quarterfinal match of the Olympic Games on Wednesday to Venezuela's Dalia Contreras Rivero, 3-2, flyweight Charlotte Craig (Murietta, Calif.), 17, was forced to play a two-hour waiting game to see if she would qualify for the repechage round and a chance for a bronze medal. But when Contreras Rivero lost on a referee superiority decision in the semifinals to Thailand's Butree Puedpong, after the two fought a scoreless overtime period, Craig was eliminated from the competition."I figured her strategy was to wait for me and my game is to be aggressive," said Craig of her quarterfinal match with Contreras Rivero."My problem was that she got the first point so I had to push it."Craig was obviously disappointed with the day's outcome, saying she was more nervous waiting around for the chance at the repechage than she was competing in the ring, but she carries with her an Olympic Games experience."I'm just happy I got a chance to represent my country," Craig said.Taekwondo competition continues on Thursday with featherweights Diana and Mark Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas) in action for the U.S. Diana's first match is at 10:00 a.m. (Wednesday 10:00 p.m. EDT) against Thailand's Premwaew Chonnapas, while Mark Lopez faces Afghanistan's Nesar Ahmad Behave at 11:30 a.m. (Wednesday 11:30 p.m. EDT) in the first round.All matches can be seen live at www.NBCOlympics.com.
Charlotte Craig Advances to Quarterfinals of Olympic Games
August 20, 2008
Olympic flyweight Charlotte Craig (Murietta, Calif.) started off her Olympic competition with a 4-0 win over Switzerland's Manuela Bezzola at the Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium. Craig built a 3-0 lead in the first round and maintained control throughout the remainder of the contest. "I set it up pretty well, took my time," said Craig of her scoring during the match. "When I saw she was in my distance, I attacked."Craig moves on to the quarterfinals to face Venezuela's Dalia Contreras Rivero who defeated Craig last December in the semifinals of the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier, 5-3. That match will take place at 3:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. EDT) and can be seen live at www.NBCOlympics.com.
Olympic Taekwondo Competition Kicks Off in BeijingAugust 18, 2008Olympic Taekwondo competition gets underway Wednesday at the Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium with action in the men’s and women’s Olympic flyweight divisions. The Olympic competition consists of a single-elimination tournament with a repechage for the two bronze medals. Read Preview
The draw for the Olympic taekwondo competition has concluded and the brackets for each of the Americans are listed below:Women's 49kgWomen's 57kgMen's 68kgMen's 80kg
Monday, August 25, 2008
Lopez bronze after first loss in 6 years
http://www.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/news/newsid=247167.html#lopez+bronze+after+first+loss+years
Iran's Saei wins gold; Korea adds a third in two days
By the Associated Press
Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 3:48 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Hwang Kyung-seon won South Korea its third gold medal in taekwondo on Friday, and Iran's Hadi Saei captured the men's 80-kilogram-class after an upset sent favorite Steven Lopez of the United States to a quarterfinal loss.
JUNG YEON-JE/Getty Images
Steven Lopez (blue) of the US fights with Mauro Sarmiento (red) of Italy in the quarterfinal round. Lopez lost the match - his first loss since 2002.
Lopez, the defending Athens gold medalist, came back to add a bronze to the silver and bronze won by his younger brother and sister on Thursday.
Saei, who won the gold in a lower weight class in the 2004 Games, went ahead in the first round against Italy's Mauro Sarmiento, but Sarmiento hit him squarely with a head kick to take a 4-2 lead.
Saei landed a kick in the second round to move within a point, then another to Sarmiento's side to tie the score 4-4 going into the final round. He came out quickly in the third, scoring another point for the lead and added on a sixth point to seal the victory.
Lopez scored on Rashad Ahmadov of Azerbaijan in the final seconds to win bronze. The second bronze went to Zhu Guo of China, who defeated Aaron Cook of Britain 4-1.
Saei moved easily through his group, taking his first match with a 7-point margin, then winning 3-2 over Zhu and 4-1 in the semis against Ahmadov.
Sarmiento - coming off a leg injury that has slowed him since 2006 - narrowly made it to the semis by defeating Lopez in a quarterfinal that went into overtime.
Videos
Athens 2004: Steven Lopez
The American wins his second Olympic gold medal
Top kicks: Day one
Top kicks: Day two
Photos
Lopezes add medals in Beijing
Beginning with the Opening Ceremony, check out the Lopezes (of taekwondo fame) as they compete for a fresh haul of medals.
Related Stories
Steven Lopez
Steven Lopez quick hits
Diana Lopez
Mark Lopez
Lopez, who hadn't lost a bout since 2002, was the heavy favorite.
Lopez fought Bahri Tanrikulu of Turkey in his opening bout, a rematch of their final in the Athens Games.
After a scoreless first round, Tanrikulu, a two-time world champion, hit with a roundhouse kick with 20 seconds to go in the second round to take the lead. Lopez came back at the start of round three to score two points and added another to go ahead 3-1. Tanrikulu had a point deducted just before the bell and the match ended 3-0 for Lopez.
But Lopez' luck then ran out.
He led 2-0 going into the final round of the quarters, but was scored on and then dropped a point for a penalty to go into overtime with Sarmiento. With time running out, Sarmiento nailed Lopez with a jumping kick as the Texan lunged forward.
The U.S. team protested the point deduction in the third round, saying it was a legal defensive move and not an illegal chop kick, but the protest was not accepted.
"We were manhandled, we were threatened not to protest, but we continued out of good faith," said team leader Herb Perez. "We don't feel we were given a level playing field."
Though they fell short of the golds, the Lopez family made U.S. Olympic history.
On Thursday, Lopez brother Mark won a silver in men's 68-kg and sister Diana a bronze in women's 57-kg.
They are the first three siblings to compete for the United States in the same Olympics since the gymnasts Edward, William and Richard Tritschler competed in St. Louis in 1904 but failed to medal.
In Friday's women's final, Hwang defeated Canada's Karine Sergerie with a kick in the final seconds to win the women's 67-kg class.
Hwang, launching few attacks, trailed Sergerie by a kick as the first round ended, but came back with 30 seconds left in the second round to tie it up. She scored with a back kick with 35 seconds left to win.
Hwang, who was the Athens bronze medalist and world champion in 2005 and 2007, cruised through her opening bout with a 5-1 score.
She fought a cautious quarterfinal but went ahead in the second round and used a counterattack kick in the third to win 3-1. In the semi, she squared off with longtime rival Gwladys Epangue of France. She won in overtime.
The bronze medals went to Epangue and Sandra Saric of Croatia.
Iran's Saei wins gold; Korea adds a third in two days
By the Associated Press
Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 3:48 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Hwang Kyung-seon won South Korea its third gold medal in taekwondo on Friday, and Iran's Hadi Saei captured the men's 80-kilogram-class after an upset sent favorite Steven Lopez of the United States to a quarterfinal loss.
JUNG YEON-JE/Getty Images
Steven Lopez (blue) of the US fights with Mauro Sarmiento (red) of Italy in the quarterfinal round. Lopez lost the match - his first loss since 2002.
Lopez, the defending Athens gold medalist, came back to add a bronze to the silver and bronze won by his younger brother and sister on Thursday.
Saei, who won the gold in a lower weight class in the 2004 Games, went ahead in the first round against Italy's Mauro Sarmiento, but Sarmiento hit him squarely with a head kick to take a 4-2 lead.
Saei landed a kick in the second round to move within a point, then another to Sarmiento's side to tie the score 4-4 going into the final round. He came out quickly in the third, scoring another point for the lead and added on a sixth point to seal the victory.
Lopez scored on Rashad Ahmadov of Azerbaijan in the final seconds to win bronze. The second bronze went to Zhu Guo of China, who defeated Aaron Cook of Britain 4-1.
Saei moved easily through his group, taking his first match with a 7-point margin, then winning 3-2 over Zhu and 4-1 in the semis against Ahmadov.
Sarmiento - coming off a leg injury that has slowed him since 2006 - narrowly made it to the semis by defeating Lopez in a quarterfinal that went into overtime.
Videos
Athens 2004: Steven Lopez
The American wins his second Olympic gold medal
Top kicks: Day one
Top kicks: Day two
Photos
Lopezes add medals in Beijing
Beginning with the Opening Ceremony, check out the Lopezes (of taekwondo fame) as they compete for a fresh haul of medals.
Related Stories
Steven Lopez
Steven Lopez quick hits
Diana Lopez
Mark Lopez
Lopez, who hadn't lost a bout since 2002, was the heavy favorite.
Lopez fought Bahri Tanrikulu of Turkey in his opening bout, a rematch of their final in the Athens Games.
After a scoreless first round, Tanrikulu, a two-time world champion, hit with a roundhouse kick with 20 seconds to go in the second round to take the lead. Lopez came back at the start of round three to score two points and added another to go ahead 3-1. Tanrikulu had a point deducted just before the bell and the match ended 3-0 for Lopez.
But Lopez' luck then ran out.
He led 2-0 going into the final round of the quarters, but was scored on and then dropped a point for a penalty to go into overtime with Sarmiento. With time running out, Sarmiento nailed Lopez with a jumping kick as the Texan lunged forward.
The U.S. team protested the point deduction in the third round, saying it was a legal defensive move and not an illegal chop kick, but the protest was not accepted.
"We were manhandled, we were threatened not to protest, but we continued out of good faith," said team leader Herb Perez. "We don't feel we were given a level playing field."
Though they fell short of the golds, the Lopez family made U.S. Olympic history.
On Thursday, Lopez brother Mark won a silver in men's 68-kg and sister Diana a bronze in women's 57-kg.
They are the first three siblings to compete for the United States in the same Olympics since the gymnasts Edward, William and Richard Tritschler competed in St. Louis in 1904 but failed to medal.
In Friday's women's final, Hwang defeated Canada's Karine Sergerie with a kick in the final seconds to win the women's 67-kg class.
Hwang, launching few attacks, trailed Sergerie by a kick as the first round ended, but came back with 30 seconds left in the second round to tie it up. She scored with a back kick with 35 seconds left to win.
Hwang, who was the Athens bronze medalist and world champion in 2005 and 2007, cruised through her opening bout with a 5-1 score.
She fought a cautious quarterfinal but went ahead in the second round and used a counterattack kick in the third to win 3-1. In the semi, she squared off with longtime rival Gwladys Epangue of France. She won in overtime.
The bronze medals went to Epangue and Sandra Saric of Croatia.
Kicked out: Cuban banned for life
http://www.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/news/newsid=251304.html#kicked+out+cuban+banned+life
By the Associated Press
Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008 5:42 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Cuba's Angel Matos deliberately kicked a referee square in the face after he was disqualified in a bronze-medal match, prompting the World Taekwondo Federation to recommend he be banned for life.
Cuba's Angel Matos has been disqualified for life after kicking a referee in the Men's 80Kg Bronze medal match
"We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur," said WTF secretary general Yang Jin-suk. "I am at a loss for words."
Yang also recommended Matos' coach be banned.
Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. Matos was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.
Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who will require stitches in his lip. Matos spat on the floor and was escorted out.
"This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind," Yang said.
Matos' coach was unapologetic.
"He was too strict," Leudis Gonzalez said, referring to the decision to disqualify Matos. Afterward, he charged the match was fixed, accusing the Kazakhs of offering him money.
Although the arena announcer said Matos and his coach were banned effective immediately, Yang said due process must be followed before officially banning the two.
In his first match, Matos defeated Italy's Leonardo Basile, then beat China's Liu Xiaobo 2-1 in the quarterfinals. But he lost to South Korean Cha Dong-min in the semis to land in the bronze-medal match. "To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," Chilmanov said. "His toe on his left foot was broken."
But Chilmanov added: "Rules are rules. I'm happy with my medal."
Matos won the gold medal in this division - the men's over 80-kilograms (176 pounds) - at the 2000 Sydney Games, dedicating the victory to his mother, who died on the day of the opening ceremony. At the 2004 Athens Games, he finished 11th.
Matos' bad behavior followed a day of confusion on the mats and ended the four-day taekwondo competition, which was marred by several protests against judge's calls.
Earlier Saturday, China's double gold medalist Chen Zhong crashed out in the quarterfinals after initially being declared the winner.
World champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza, the eventual winner in the women's over 67-kilogram (147.4 pounds) class, was to fight Chen in the semifinals but the judges overturned an earlier ruling and made Britain's Sarah Stevenson the winner of the quarterfinal bout in which Chen scored in the closing seconds of the second round and then Stevenson tagged her with a head kick - worth two points - in the third.
The judges ruled Stevenson's kick wasn't solid enough for points, and Chen was declared the winner 1-0. After Britain protested, the result was changed to put Stevenson in the semifinal.
The decision brought loud jeers from the crowd. China did not appeal.
It was the first time a match result has been overturned since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in 1990.
"It's been a really tough day, an emotional rollercoaster," Stevenson said. "I would have been devastated if they hadn't changed the decision."
Stevenson won bronze, along with Brazil's Natalia Falavigna.
Cha made it four-for-four gold medals for South Korea. In taekwondo, countries are allowed to enter only four athletes.
Cha fell behind when Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece nailed him with a head kick 15 seconds into the bout. But he came back with a body kick and a head shot of his own to take back the lead, adding another point to go 4-3 going into the third round.
Nikolaidis evened it out at 4-4 with a body kick, but Cha scored with just 18 seconds left to claim the gold in the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) division.
Nikolaidis said he felt the judging was bad in the gold-medal match as well.
"I don't think in press conferences we should discuss referees and things," he said. "But I think I deserved a couple of things that didn't come to me."
Daba Modibo Keita of Mali, the 2007 world champion, was defeated in overtime in the quarterfinals by Nigeria's Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije, who ended up with the other bronze.
By the Associated Press
Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008 5:42 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Cuba's Angel Matos deliberately kicked a referee square in the face after he was disqualified in a bronze-medal match, prompting the World Taekwondo Federation to recommend he be banned for life.
Cuba's Angel Matos has been disqualified for life after kicking a referee in the Men's 80Kg Bronze medal match
"We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur," said WTF secretary general Yang Jin-suk. "I am at a loss for words."
Yang also recommended Matos' coach be banned.
Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. Matos was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.
Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who will require stitches in his lip. Matos spat on the floor and was escorted out.
"This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind," Yang said.
Matos' coach was unapologetic.
"He was too strict," Leudis Gonzalez said, referring to the decision to disqualify Matos. Afterward, he charged the match was fixed, accusing the Kazakhs of offering him money.
Although the arena announcer said Matos and his coach were banned effective immediately, Yang said due process must be followed before officially banning the two.
In his first match, Matos defeated Italy's Leonardo Basile, then beat China's Liu Xiaobo 2-1 in the quarterfinals. But he lost to South Korean Cha Dong-min in the semis to land in the bronze-medal match. "To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," Chilmanov said. "His toe on his left foot was broken."
But Chilmanov added: "Rules are rules. I'm happy with my medal."
Matos won the gold medal in this division - the men's over 80-kilograms (176 pounds) - at the 2000 Sydney Games, dedicating the victory to his mother, who died on the day of the opening ceremony. At the 2004 Athens Games, he finished 11th.
Matos' bad behavior followed a day of confusion on the mats and ended the four-day taekwondo competition, which was marred by several protests against judge's calls.
Earlier Saturday, China's double gold medalist Chen Zhong crashed out in the quarterfinals after initially being declared the winner.
World champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza, the eventual winner in the women's over 67-kilogram (147.4 pounds) class, was to fight Chen in the semifinals but the judges overturned an earlier ruling and made Britain's Sarah Stevenson the winner of the quarterfinal bout in which Chen scored in the closing seconds of the second round and then Stevenson tagged her with a head kick - worth two points - in the third.
The judges ruled Stevenson's kick wasn't solid enough for points, and Chen was declared the winner 1-0. After Britain protested, the result was changed to put Stevenson in the semifinal.
The decision brought loud jeers from the crowd. China did not appeal.
It was the first time a match result has been overturned since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in 1990.
"It's been a really tough day, an emotional rollercoaster," Stevenson said. "I would have been devastated if they hadn't changed the decision."
Stevenson won bronze, along with Brazil's Natalia Falavigna.
Cha made it four-for-four gold medals for South Korea. In taekwondo, countries are allowed to enter only four athletes.
Cha fell behind when Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece nailed him with a head kick 15 seconds into the bout. But he came back with a body kick and a head shot of his own to take back the lead, adding another point to go 4-3 going into the third round.
Nikolaidis evened it out at 4-4 with a body kick, but Cha scored with just 18 seconds left to claim the gold in the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) division.
Nikolaidis said he felt the judging was bad in the gold-medal match as well.
"I don't think in press conferences we should discuss referees and things," he said. "But I think I deserved a couple of things that didn't come to me."
Daba Modibo Keita of Mali, the 2007 world champion, was defeated in overtime in the quarterfinals by Nigeria's Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije, who ended up with the other bronze.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
TKD Results - Day 1
China, Mexico win gold
By the Associated Press
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 3:36 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese world champion Wu Jingyu won Olympic gold in her weight class during the first day of the taekwondo competition on Wednesday, while Afghanistan got its first Olympic medal ever, winning a bronze in the men's under 58-kilogram division.
China's Wu Jingyu celebrates after earning the gold medal in the women's 49kg division.
Mexico's Guillermo Perez won gold in the under 58-kg division in a decision over Dominica's Yulis Gabriel Mercedes. Afghanistan's Rohullah Nikpai won one of the two bronzes awarded in that weight class.
Wu took the lead in the first round of the women's under 49-kg final with a chest kick to Thailand's Buttree Puedpong. She narrowly missed on a high kick to Puedpong's head late in the second round that hit the Thai in the shoulder and sent her to the mat.
Puedpong had a point deducted in the third round, putting her in negative territory, and Wu held on for the win.
Wu also cruised through the preliminaries, beating her first two opponents by 7-point margins. That set up a semifinal between Wu and the other favorite in the division, Taiwan's Yang Shu-chun, the 2007 world bronze medalist.
Wu took the lead with a solid looping head kick and a midsection kick to close the first round. Yang scored in the second round, but Wu matched that early in the third and went on to win 4-1.
Men's 58kg and women's 49kg gallery
As the first day of taekwondo kicks off in Beijing, follow the action live as images flow in from the Games. Follow Charlotte Craig, Wu Jingyu and Athens gold medalist Chu Mu Yen.
Afghanistan wins its first Olympic medal
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Rohullah NIKPAI bio
Guillermo PEREZ bio
WU Jingyu bio
Buttree PUEDPONG bio
Charlotte Craig quick hits
Charlotte Craig bio
Venezuela's Dalia Contreras Rivero and Puedpong went into overtime in the other semifinal. Neither was able to score, and Peudpong was declared the winner by the judges.
Contreras Rivero and Cuba's Daynellis Montejo, who defeated Yang, took bronzes.
Charlotte Craig of the United States lost in the quarterfinal to Rivero.
"This is more of a learning experience," Craig said of her first Olympics. "I was lucky to make it to these Olympic Games - 2012 will be different. Even though I'm 17 years old, I'm still one of the top athletes in the world. I just have to believe in myself."
In the men's under 58-kg final, Perez had to go the distance with Mercedes.
Perez scored early, but Mercedes came back with seconds left to force the match into overtime. Neither could score in the allotted two minutes, and the judges' decision went to Perez.
Defending Athens champion Chu Mu-yen of Taiwan got off to a flying start in the preliminaries, using an airborne back kick and then a downward chopping head kick to easily best Kenya's Dickson Wamwiri, 7-0.
But his momentum ran out in the quarterfinals.
Chu was quickly forced to play catch-up after Mercedes pegged him with a body kick combination. Chu evened it up in the second round at 2-2, but fell behind again as time ran out.
World champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain, who finished fourth in Athens, also struggled in the quarterfinals, going into the third round tied with Marcio Ferreira of Brazil. He scored, then lost a point for a penalty and the match went into overtime. He won with a body kick after 20 seconds.
In the semifinal, Ramos trailed Mercedes at the start of the final round, but Mercedes lost a point on penalties, sending that match into overtime as well. Mercedes scored the winning kick with just six seconds remaining.
Nikpai defeated Ramos in the bronze medal match. The other bronze went to Taiwan's Chu.
By the Associated Press
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 5:29 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Afghanistan won its first Olympic medal on Wednesday, when Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take the bronze medal in the men's under 58-kilogram taekwondo competition.
Nikpai, a flashy kicker who has been practicing the Korean martial art since he was 10, defeated Ramos easily in their bronze medal contest, outscoring the limping Spaniard.
Nikpai placed second in the World Taekwondo Federation's world qualifying event in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam last year.
The win brings him a US$50,000 prize from a mobile phone company in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan will get another chance at a medal in taekwondo. Nesar Ahmad Bahave is competing in a heavier weight class.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
TKD Olympic Schedule
Taekwondo Event Schedule-Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
July.27-Aug.19
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
Aug. 18
09:00-08:00
Technical Officials Training and Practice
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
09:00-10:00
Head of Team Meeting
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
10:30-12:00
Drawing of Lots
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 19
09:00-18:00
Technical Officials Training and Practice
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s under 58kg & Women’s under 49kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 20
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s under 58kg & Women’s under 49kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s under 68kg & Women’s under 57kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 21
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s under 68kg & Women’s under 57kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s under 80kg & Women’s under 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 22
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s under 80kg & Women’s under 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s over 80kg & Women’s over 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 23
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s over 80kg & Women’s over 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
For more 2008 Taekwondo Olympic info, visit these links:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/index.html
http://www.usa-taekwondo.us/
July.27-Aug.19
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
Aug. 18
09:00-08:00
Technical Officials Training and Practice
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
09:00-10:00
Head of Team Meeting
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
10:30-12:00
Drawing of Lots
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 19
09:00-18:00
Technical Officials Training and Practice
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s under 58kg & Women’s under 49kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 20
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s under 58kg & Women’s under 49kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s under 68kg & Women’s under 57kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 21
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s under 68kg & Women’s under 57kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s under 80kg & Women’s under 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 22
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s under 80kg & Women’s under 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
08:00-22:00
Athletes Training
Capital Institute of Physical Education Training hall B
16:00-17:00
Weigh-in for athletes in Men’s over 80kg & Women’s over 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
Aug. 23
09:00-21:04
Competition for Men’s over 80kg & Women’s over 67kg
Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium
For more 2008 Taekwondo Olympic info, visit these links:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/index.html
http://www.usa-taekwondo.us/
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