Park Tae-joon wins Korea’s first gold in men’s 58-kg event

Park Tae-joon has made history by becoming the first South Korean athlete to win a gold medal in the men’s 58-kg taekwondo event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This victory marks a new chapter in the nation's taekwondo legacy. It also erases the disappointment of South Korea's "no gold" performance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Park’s medal was Korea’s 12th gold in Paris.

On Thursday, at the Grand Palais in Paris, Park clinched victory in the men’s 58-kg taekwondo final at the Paris Olympics, winning by forfeit against Gashim Magomedov of Azerbaijan with just over a minute left in the second round. Park had dominated the first round with a 9-0 lead and was ahead 13-1 before Magomedov withdrew due to an injury sustained to his left shin during an early kick in the first round, leading to a one-sided match in favor of Park.

Park's gold medal is the first for South Korea in this weight category. Since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport at the 2000 Sydney Games, South Korea had won 12 golds, three silvers, and seven bronzes by the end of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but had never won the men’s 58-kg event.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com