GB claim 1st gold at World Taekwondo Championships

Walkden overcomes Galloway

This handout from the Blue House taken on June 24, 2017 shows South Korean President Moon Jae-in (center), posing with Taekwondo Demonstration teams from South Korea (front), and North Korea (second row), during the opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo Championships in the southern county

of Muju. North Korea’s International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) delegation is in South Korea for performances at the world championships. (AFP) SEOUL, June 28, (AFP): Great Britain picked up a first gold medal at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships on Wednesday in South Korea as Bianca Walkden defeated Jackie Galloway of the United States.

The two bronze medallists from the 2016 Rio Olympics met in the Over-73 kg category in the southern South Korean city of Muju.

Walkden overcame Galloway 14-4 in the final of the event that ends Friday. There was less positive news for the United Kingdom in the men’s Under-87 kg class as Lutalo Muhammad, who missed out on gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the last seconds of the final, crashed out at the Cho meets Roman Kuznetsov.

South Korea has another medal hope in the semifinal of the women’s Under-73 kg category. Oh Hye-ri meets Mexico’s Maria Espinoza. The winner will take on either Reshmie Oogink of the Netherlands or Serbia’s Milica Mandic.

Results:

Finals Men Under 58 kg Jeong Yun-jo (KOR); Mikhail Artamonov (TAI); Jesus Tortosa (ESP); Carlos Navarro (MEX)

Women Under 53 kg Zeliha Agris(TUR); Tatiana Kudashova (RUS); Dinorahon Mamadibragimova (UZB); Inese Tarvida (LAT)

Women Over 73 kg Bianca Walkden (GBR); Jackie Galloway (USA); An Sae-bom (KOR); Zheng Shuyin (CHN).

A member of North Korean taekwondo team demonstrates at Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, in Seoul, South Korea on June

28. (AP)