China's Zhao Shuai (right) fights against Lee Dae-hoon from South Korea during the 2019 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series in Wuxi on Dec 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The 2019 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series, held in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, saw South Korean, Russian, and Croatian fighters win gold medals on Dec 18.
On the opening day of the competition, some of the world's greatest athletes competed in the men's 68-kg and 80-kg categories and the women's 67-kg category. The competition adheres to a single-elimination format, with matches decided by the best of three two-minute rounds. Matches for gold and bronze medals were the best of five rounds for the men's categories.
China's Zhao Shuai overcame Britain's Christian McNeish 2:1 in the semi-finals, securing a fight against Lee Dae-hoon in the men's 68-kg category. However, Zhao lost 3:0 against the 2017 champion in the finals, losing out on the gold medal.
Having won bronze last year, Lee came into this year's tournament hungry for gold and dominated the competition from start to finish – he didn't lose a single round in the finals, semifinals, or quarterfinals.
Since Zhao qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for his impressive performance in this year's World Taekwondo Grand Slam, Lee expressed hope for a more interesting match if they got the chance to fight again next year.
China's 20-year-old Lin Wenye was the dark horse in the men's 68-kg category, securing a bronze medal after a 3:2 win over Britain's Christian McNeish.
Russia's Maksim Khramtcov (left) fights against Namgoong Hwan from South Korea during the 2019 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series in Wuxi on Dec 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Russia's Maksim Khramtcov won gold in the 80-kg category for the second year in a row, beating out Namgoong Hwan from South Korea in the finals.
In the women's 67-kg category, Matea Jelic won her first ever Grand Slam gold medal after fending off fellow Croatian Doris Pole in the finals.
The Grand Slam Champions Series will continue over the next two days, with athletes from five more weight categories set to compete.
Launched in 2017, the Grand Slam is the first Olympic Qualifier to be permanently held in China. It brings together some of the best athletes from around the world and gives them a chance to showcase their talent.
