Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Tseng Li-cheng defeated the world’s top-ranked player from China on Sunday to win a London Olympics qualifier, earning her a berth at the Games next year.
Tseng, the world No. 2, trounced China’s Hou Yuzhuo 3-0 in the final of the under-57kg tournament.
Her triumph made her the second Taiwanese athlete to earn a trip to London next year. A day earlier, Yang Shu-chun finished third in the women’s under-49kg category to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Photo: Yeh Shih-hung, Taipei Times
Tseng won five straight bouts at the tournament, cruising past Deborah Louz of the Netherlands 5-1 in the quarter-finals, Mayu Hamada of Japan 11-2 in the semi-finals and Hou in the final.
Afterwards, the victor attributed her success to a decision to wear traditional protective gear, which fits her body better.
In the face of strong maneuvers from Hou, Tseng said she was not afraid of her opponent because she had defeated Hou at the Asian Taekwondo Championships last year.
The top three finishers in each weight category in the Azerbaijan qualifying tournament get to compete at the London Olympics, according to the World Taekwondo Federation.
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