China's Olympic champion Luo Wei and the country's best
chance?of a gold medal at the Taekwondo Championships in
Beijing was upset by Lee In Jong from South Korea 3-1 in the
women's under 72-kilo weight class semi-final on Sunday.
Lee's popularity in China was obvious as the crowd gave her a
rousing welcome but the Olympic and World champion could not muster
any fight against Lee.
Put on the defensive early on, Luo received two warnings for
inaction and a well-aimed kick from Lee allowed her to lead 1 to -1
in the first bout. The second bout was all Lee as she went on the
attack, and stormed into a 4-1 lead. She added a point early on the
third to make it 5-1 and held off a counter-attacking Luo. Her
defense cost Lee two points through penalties but she held on to
win 3-1.
"The World Championships attracted the best players worldwide.
Each athlete gave their best here and no one knew what would
happen," said Luo after the duel. "I suffered a serious injury
before the tournament. The injury affected my performance a lot. I
tried my best and I am satisfied with the result."
"I am still recovering and am far from my best, my injury caused
my defeat. My leg was in pain and I did not have full mobility, and
missed a few opportunities," Luo lamented. “My strength is fine but
my injured leg is a major hindrance."
?
"We met in the semi-final of the Doha Asian Games, when I beat her
by one point. I am certain she studied me carefully after that. She
is a very experienced fighter and deserves the victory," added Luo.
"My next plan is to quickly recover from my injury."
(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2007)
