Korea aims to live up to reputation as taekwondo origin at World Grand Prix

Korea aims to live up to reputation as taekwondo origin at World Grand Prix. August. 12, 2015 07:40. wing@donga.com.

The World Taekwondo Grand Prix 2015 will open in Russia on Friday. The first round of the Grand Prix series to be held at Dinamo gymnasium in Moscow will bring together 249 athletes from 52 countries.

The Grand Prix series, which has been held as an official competition from last year since a pilot contest in 2013, is a world-class competition that the top-ranking 31 athletes each of males and females compete in four weight categories, which were selected as official sports of the Olympics, and one athlete invited by the host country.

At the championship, five Koreans will participate in men’s category including Cha Dong-min and Lee Dae-hoon, and Kim Tae-hoon, and eight Koreans will take part in women’s including Hwang Kyeong-seon (Goyang City Hall), and Im Geum-byeol (Jeonnam Athletic High School). Cha, a gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is participating at the 80 kilograms or higher grade, while Lee Dae-hoon, a silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympics who was selected as "the player of the year" by the World Taekwondo Federation last year, will participate in the 68 kilograms or less grade. Kim Tae-hoon, who won the gold medal in the 54 kilograms or less grade at the World Championship for two consecutive years in May after winning the gold medal at the Incheon Asian Games last year, is also seeking the championship.

Im Geum-byeol displayed stellar kicking skills in the 53-kg or less grade at the World Championship in May that she took part as a national team member for the first time. She will take on challenge to win the title again in the 57-kg or less grade. Im Geum-byeol, who was born in 1998 and is now 17 years old, is the youngest Korean athlete to win the title at the World Championship since 1996, when the World Junior Championship (open to those aged between 14 and 17) started to be held separately. Hwang Gyeong-seon, who was disqualified at the quarterfinal match of the World Championship in May, aims to regain his fame as a former Olympic champion in the 67-kg or less grade. Hwang won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and London Olympics.

The second round of the Grand Prix series will take place in Samsun, Turkey, the third round in Manchester, the U.K. in October, and the final championships in Mexico City, Mexico in December.