Taekwondo Not Without Controversy in Beijing
It was sad enough that NBC did not cover the Taekwondo at the Olympics, and that the Lopez family did not sweep the gold, but what is worse is the unsportsmanlike actions of Cuban Angel Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez. Matos took more than the allowed minute for injuries and was disqualified in his bronze medal match. He pushed a judge and kicked the referee in the face, and then spit on the floor before stalking out. Both were given a lifetime ban from all World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) championships, subject to confirmation by the International Olympic Committee. More on this story can be found at the BBC website.
What the sport should be shouting about is the fairness of the competition and the fine representation from so many countries—this is what Taekwondo is all about. Look below for the list of medals from various countries and the athletes participating.
The Lopez Tamily
The Lopez family representing the United States, Steven, Mark, and Diana, hailing from Sugarland, Tex. were competing for gold. Steven having previously won two gold medals was hoping for a third. He placed for a silver medal. Mark and Diana, world champions, placed for bronze. Although, not gold, it was honor to bring home medals. Three siblings haven’t competed in the same Olympic Games since 1904. Older brother, Jean, was the U.S. Olympic team’s coach in Beijing.
Medal Winners
| Women’s Fly (-49kg) | ||
| Gold | Jingyu Wu |  China |
| Silver | Buttre Puedpong |  Thailand |
| Bronze | Dailia Conreras Rivero |  Venezuela |
| Bronze | Daynellis Montejo |  Cuba |
| Women’s Feather (49-57kg) | ||
| Gold | Sujeong Lim |  South Korea |
| Silver | Azize Tanrikulu |  Turkey |
| Bronze | Diana Lopez |  United States |
| Bronze | Martina Zubcic |  Croatia |
| Women’s Welter (57-67kg) | ||
| Gold | Kyungseon Hwang | South Korea |
| Silver | Karine Sergerie |  Canada |
| Bronze | Gwladys Patience Epangue |  France |
| Bronze | Sandra Saric | Croatia |
| Women’s Heavy (67+kg) | ||
| Gold | Maria del Rosario Espinoza |  Mexico |
| Silver | Nina Solheim |  Norway |
| Bronze | Natalia Falavigna |  Brazil |
| Bronze | Sarah Stevenson |  United Kingdom |
| Men’s Fly (-58kg) | ||
| Gold | Guillermo Perez | Mexico |
| Silver | Yulis Gabriel Mercedes |  Dominican Republic |
| Bronze | Mu-Yen Chu |  Chinese Taipei |
| Bronze | Rohullah Nikpai |  Afghanistan |
| Men’s Feather (58-68 kg) | ||
| Gold | Taejin Son | South Korea |
| Silver | Mark Lopez | United States |
| Bronze | Yu-Chi Sung | Chinese Taipei |
| Bronze | Servet Tazegul | Turkey |
| Men’s Welter (68-80 kg) | ||
| Gold | Hadi Saei |  Iran |
| Silver | Mauro Sarmiento |  Italy |
| Bronze | Steven Lopez | United States |
| Bronze | Guo Zhu | China |
| Men’s Heavy (80+kg) | ||
| Gold | Dongmin Cha | South Korea |
| Silver | Alexandros Nikolaidis |  Greece |
| Bronze | Arman Chilmanov |  Kazakhstan |
| Bronze | Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije |  Nigeria |
Medals by Country
South Korea received four gold medals, which is expected as Taekwondo is the definitive Korean martial art. The United States placed second with medals in silver and bronze; but no gold was received. Mexico received two gold medals and China one gold and one bronze. See below for more results.
Taekwondo | ||||||
Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
1 | | South Korea | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
2 | | United States | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
3t | | Mexico | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
3t | | China | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
3t | | Turkey | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
3t | | Chinese Taipei | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
t | | Croatia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
8t | | Iran | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
8t | | Canada | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
8t | | Dominican Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
8t | | Greece | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
8t | | Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
8t | | Norway | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
8t | | Thailand | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
8t | | Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8t | | Brazil | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8t | | United Kingdom | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8t | | Cuba | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8t | | France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8t | | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8t | | Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8t | | Venezuela | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |