PARIS, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — Althea Laurin made history on Saturday, clinching host nation France’s first-ever Olympic taekwondo gold medal on the final day of the competition at the Paris Games.
The 22-year-old women’s 73kg world champion triumphed in the women’s +67kg division, defeating Uzbekistan’s Svetlana Osipova 2-0 in the final.
On her path to victory, Laurin overcame Munira Abdusalomova of Tajikistan, Germany’s Lorena Brandl, and Turkey’s Nafia Kus Aydin to the final. Kus Aydin, alongside South Korea’s Lee Da-bin, earned a bronze medal in the women’s category.
On the men’s side, Iran’s Arian Salimi claimed gold in the +80kg division, defeating Britain’s Caden Cunningham to top the podium. Salimi, a first-time Olympian, bested higher-ranked competitors in previous rounds, including Uzbekistan’s Nikita Rafalovich, Mexico’s Carlos Sansores, and Croatia’s Ivan Sapina, to reach the final.
The bronze medals in the men’s event were awarded to Cuba’s Rafael Alba and Cote d’Ivoire’s Cheick Sallah Cisse, both seasoned veterans of the sport.
This year’s taekwondo competition highlighted the growing global reach of the sport, with athletes from 23 countries and regions securing medals. Notably, South Korea, the birthplace of taekwondo, was the only nation to win two golds, yet the distribution of gold medals underscored the sport’s increasing diversity. Tunisia and Thailand, for instance, each won their only gold medal of the Games in taekwondo.
Tunisia’s Firas Katoussi, who won the men’s 80kg Olympic title on Friday, attributed his country’s success to strong national support. “Tunisia is competing with nations that have deep traditions in this sport,” Katoussi said. “There’s a growing wave of young talent emerging.”
The tournament was marked by the rise of younger athletes, with 12 of the 16 finalists born after 2000. This youth movement saw several established stars falter, including four-time Olympian Ruth Gbagbi of Cote d’Ivoire and Britain’s two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones, both of whom were eliminated in the first round by lower-ranked challengers.
