| Taekwondo at the Games of the XXX Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | ExCeL London |
| Dates | 8–11 August 2012 |
| Competitors | 128 from 63 nations |
Taekwondo competitions at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was held from 8 August to 11 August at the ExCeL London. Competition was held in eight weight categories; four for men, and four for women.
| Taekwondo at the 2012 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Qualification | ||
| Men | Women | |
| 58 kg | 49 kg | |
| 68 kg | 57 kg | |
| 80 kg | 67 kg | |
| +80 kg | +67 kg | |
The Taekwondo competition at the 2012 Games included 128 athletes, 64 in each gender, 16 in each of the eight weight divisions. Each competing nations were allowed to enter a maximum of four competitors, two of each gender. Each nation would therefore be eligible to compete in a maximum of half the weight categories. [1]
Four places were reserved for Great Britain as host nation, and a further four was invitational as decided by the Tripartite Commission. The remaining 120 places were allocated through a qualification process, in which athletes won quota places for their respective nation.
If a nation which qualified through a Qualification Tournament relinquishes a quota place, it would be allocated to the nation of the next highest placed athlete in the respective weight category of that tournament as long as the addition of the place does not exceed the maximum quota for that nation. [2]
| Date → | Wed 8 | Thu 9 | Fri 10 | Sat 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's | 58 kg | 68 kg | 80 kg | +80 kg |
| Women's | 49 kg | 57 kg | 67 kg | +67 kg |
Due to the increasing controversies happened in the previous Olympics Taekwondo which led to speculations that this competition might be removed from the Olympic program, the World Taekwondo Federation introduced new electronic scoring system and instant video replays in anticipation to make the competition more transparent and fair. The distinction of Taekwondo at these Olympic Games was that this was the first time in the sport that eight gold medals were awarded to eight different NOCs. Europe took the lead and South Korea lost its dominance. The 2008 Olympics was the second time that South Korea, failed to medal in Taekwondo. Steven López, Alexandros Nikolaidis and Sarah Stevenson, the only three legends who participated in each of the three previous Olympics, were all eliminated in the preliminary round. Lee In Jong and Cha Dong-Min became the first two Korean Taekwondo practitioners who could not secure any medals in the Olympics Taekwondo history. Rohullah Nikpai of Afghanistan defended his previous bronze medalist standing. Anthony Obame originated Gabon's Olympic medalist history in the sport.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 |  China | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 |  South Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Turkey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 7 |  Argentina | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Serbia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 9 |  France | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 |  Gabon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Iran | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 |  Russia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 United States | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 14 |  Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Chinese Taipei | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Colombia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Croatia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Cuba | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Mexico | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Thailand | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (21 nations) | 8 | 8 | 16 | 32 | |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight (58 kg) | Joel González  Spain | Lee Dae-hoon  South Korea | Aleksey Denisenko  Russia |
Óscar Muñoz  Colombia | |||
| Lightweight (68 kg) | Servet Tazegül  Turkey | Mohammad Bagheri  Iran | Terrence Jennings  United States |
Rohullah Nikpai  Afghanistan | |||
| Middleweight (80 kg) | Sebastián Crismanich  Argentina | Nicolás García Spain | Lutalo Muhammad  Great Britain |
Mauro Sarmiento  Italy | |||
| Heavyweight (+80 kg) | Carlo Molfetta Italy | Anthony Obame  Gabon | Robelis Despaigne  Cuba |
Liu Xiaobo  China |
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight (49 kg) | Wu Jingyu China | Brigitte Yagüe Spain | Chanatip Sonkham  Thailand |
Lucija Zaninović  Croatia | |||
| Lightweight (57 kg) | Jade Jones Great Britain | Hou Yuzhuo China | Marlène Harnois  France |
Tseng Li-cheng  Chinese Taipei | |||
| Middleweight (67 kg) | Hwang Kyung-seon South Korea | Nur Tatar Turkey | Paige McPherson United States |
Helena Fromm  Germany | |||
| Heavyweight (+67 kg) | Milica Mandić  Serbia | Anne-Caroline Graffe France | Anastasia Baryshnikova Russia |
María Espinoza  Mexico |
Eleven taekwondo athletes were flag bearers during the Parade of Nations:
In addition, Sarah Stevenson, representing the host nation, Great Britain, took the athlete's oath at the opening ceremony.
A total of 128 athletes from 63 nations competed in taekwondo at the London Games. Only six nations brought four athletes: Egypt, Great Britain, Korea, Mexico, Russia, and the United States.
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British taekwondo practitioner Aaron Cook was involved in controversy relating to selection for the games. Although ranked number one in the world, Great Britain decided to send Lutalo Muhammad, ranked 59th. Cook appealed the omission claiming that he was overlooked because he stepped outside of Britain's training program and found his own coach, but the World Taekwondo Federation found that no rules were broken during the selection process. [4]
Greece competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR. Greek athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games. Of the four nations that have been to every Summer Games, Greece was the only one to compete under its national flag at Moscow, as the other three and several other nations competed under the Olympic flag in protest of the USSR's involvement in the Afghan Civil War.
Yugoslavia competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States which took place from 29 July to 12 August 1984. Yugoslav athletes had competed in every Summer Olympic Games since their official debut in 1920. The Yugoslav Olympic Committee (JOK) sent a delegation of 139 athletes, 105 men and 34 women, competing in 16 sports, down from 164 competitors in 1980. Due to the Soviet-led boycott, Yugoslavia was one of only three Communist countries to take part at the Games, along with China and Romania.
Daba Modibo Keïta is a Malian taekwondo athlete. Keïta has competed in international competitions since 1996, and in 2007 became the heavyweight (+84 kg) division 2007 World Taekwondo Champion in Beijing, and competed in both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics in the +80 kg class.
Haiti sent a delegation to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Its participation in Beijing marked its seventh consecutive appearance at the summer Olympics and its fourteenth appearance overall, with its first being at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Haitian Olympic team included seven athletes participating in track and field, boxing, and judo. More women participated for Haiti in 2008 than at any single Olympic games prior. Although Pierre and Dorival advanced to quarterfinals in their events, there were no Haitian medalists in Beijing. Brutus carried his country's flag at the ceremonies.
Puerto Rico competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics which was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. The American territory with a population of four million people qualified 22 athletes in eight different sports. The appearance of the Puerto Rican delegation at the Beijing Olympics marked the commonwealth's sixteenth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics, and its twenty-second appearance at any Olympic games, since its debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. Of its competitors participating in events that involve progression by heats, six athletes advanced at least one round in their events, and two advanced at least two rounds, with Asunción Ocasio almost medaling bronze in taekwondo. However, there were no Puerto Rican medalists at the Beijing Olympics. McWilliams Arroyo, a boxer, bore Puerto Rico's flag at the ceremonies.
Nesar Ahmad Bahawi, born March 27, 1984 in Kapisa Province) is an Afghan Taekwondo practitioner. He won the silver medal in the lightweight category (72 kg) at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships, edging out 2004 Olympic Champion Hadi Saei in the semifinals. It was the second international medal for Afghanistan in any sport – the first was one by Badamgul Multazim, a heavyweight Taekwondo practitioner.
Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije is a male taekwondo practitioner from Nigeria. The son of Nigerian politician Uche Chukwumerije, Chika first drew attention in 2003 during the qualifiers for the 2003 All-Africa Games, where he eventually won a bronze medal in the Heavyweight Male category. He qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but lost his first bout to Pascal Gentil, the eventual bronze medal winner. Nevertheless, after a period of intensive training that was funded by his father, he became one of Nigeria's best chances for a medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He won a gold medal at the 2007 All-Africa Games in the +80 kg class and qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games soon after. Although he lost to eventual silver-medal winner Alexandros Nikolaidis in the semifinals of the +80kg event, he was entered into the repechage round of the tournament. Here, after defeating Akmal Irgashev of Uzbekistan he claimed a bronze medal in the event, Nigeria's third medal of the tournament. Four years later he competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but did not make it past his first bout.
Arman Yeremyan is an Armenian taekwondo athlete. He is an Armenian and European Champion. Yeremyan has been awarded the Master of Sport of Armenia, International Class title.
Greece competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The Hellenic Olympic Committee sent a total of 103 athletes to the Games in London, 65 men and 38 women, to compete in 19 sports. Men's water polo was the only team event in which Greece was represented at these Olympic Games.
Afghanistan competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Six Afghan athletes were selected for the Games, competing in four different sporting events. Rohullah Nikpai, who won Afghanistan's first ever Olympic medal at the 2008 Games, managed to repeat his bronze medal in the men's 68 kg taekwondo event for the second time.
Sebastián Eduardo Crismanich is an Argentine taekwondo athlete. He won the gold medal in the men's 80 kg division at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Natalya Mamatova is an Uzbek taekwondo practitioner, who competed in the women's heavyweight category. She became one of the first taekwondo fighters in history to represent Uzbekistan at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and later earned a silver medal in the 67-kg division at the 2006 World Military Championships in Seoul, South Korea.
Che Chew Chan is a Malaysian taekwondo practitioner. She is a three-time defending champion for the middleweight category and won a total of four gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games, a silver medalist at the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand, and a silver medalist at the 2008 Asian Taekwondo Championships in Luoyang, China.
Elaine Teo Shueh Fhern is a Malaysian Taekwondo exponent. She is a holder of a 4th dan Taekwondo Black Belt from Korea and 5th dan Malaysia. She has represented Malaysia from 1999-2011 in various international tournaments. Her experience as a professional Taekwondo exponent has placed her on the pedestal of honour nationally and internationally. One of her most memorable experience was being the first Taekwondo exponent in Malaysia to qualify twice for the Olympic Games.
Márcio Wenceslau Ferreira is a Brazilian taekwondo practitioner. He qualified for the men's flyweight category (58 kg) at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, when he won a silver medal for his host nation at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, losing out to Gabriel Mercedes of the Dominican Republic in the final match. He also added the bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, after being defeated by Mexico's Damian Villa in the semi-final round. He is the brother of Marcel Ferreira, who also competed for the same category at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Gladys Alicia Mora Romero is a Colombian taekwondo practitioner. She is a two-time Olympian, and a four-time medalist at the Pan American Taekwondo Championships. She also won a bronze medal for the 51 kg class at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games in Cartagena, Colombia.
Tran Thi Ngoc Truc is a Vietnamese taekwondo practitioner. She won a gold medal for the women's flyweight division at the 2006 World Youth Taekwondo Championships, coincidentally in her home city.
Juana Wangsa Putri is an Indonesian taekwondo practitioner, who competed in the women's flyweight category. She claimed a silver medal in the 51 kg category at the 2002 Asian Taekwondo Championships in Amman, Jordan, bronze medals at two consecutive Asian Games, and represented Indonesia in two editions of the Olympic Games.
Luis Alberto Noguera Urquia is a Venezuelan taekwondo practitioner, who competed in the men's heavyweight category. He retrieved a bronze medal in the 83-kg division at the 1993 World Taekwondo Championships in New York City, New York, United States, clinched the gold at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and represented his nation Venezuela at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Azerbaijan competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
Media related to Taekwondo at the 2012 Summer Olympics at Wikimedia Commons
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