Promising athlete Jeong Woo-hyeok (Korea National Sport University) defeated world champions in succession at the 'Charlotte 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge (G2)' to win the gold medal in the men's -68kg category. The tournament, hosted by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), kicked off on the 14th (Korean time) at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, USA. It will be held for three days until the 16th.

In the final, Jeong Woo-hyeok defeated Taiwan's Hao Yu Su by winning the first round 14-13 and the second round 19-10, achieving a round score of 2-0.

In the first round, he fell behind 0-5 early on, allowing consecutive body and head attacks. He was further behind at 4-10 after allowing an additional head attack. However, Jeong Woo-hyeok began to fight back with a left foot body attack in the second half, leveling the score at 10-10 with a spinning kick and a back kick. Though he soon fell behind again at 10-13 due to an opponent's head attack, Jeong Woo-hyeok managed to equalize at 13-13 with a precise head attack just 1.71 seconds before the end of the match, while his opponent also received a 1-point penalty, dramatically turning the score to 14-13.

In the second round, Jeong Woo-hyeok's confidence shone. He scored the first point with a body attack right at the start, followed by successful close-range spinning kicks, consecutive body attacks, and a head attack, winning decisively at 19-10.

Jeong Woo-hyeok garnered attention by continuously defeating world championship champions in this tournament. In the Round of 32, he defeated Marco Gorbic (Croatia), the gold medalist in the -74kg category at the 2023 Baku World Championships, by 2-0. In the quarterfinals, he overcame the -63kg world champion Rezber Hakan (Turkey) 2-1.

This participation, in particular, occurred under dramatic circumstances. Korea was not included in the registration for the -68kg category, but due to the withdrawal of athletes from some countries just before the event, Jeong Woo-hyeok and Jin Ho-jun (Suwon City Hall) received a late opportunity to compete.

Immediately after winning, Jeong Woo-hyeok said, "I never expected to come in first against world championship winners, but now that I have won, I am in disbelief. Originally, I was in the -58kg category, but after entering university, I moved up a weight class and thought I would be overpowered, but I could overcome it with technique. Especially at critical moments, the strategies given by my professor (Nam Yoon-bae) matched perfectly, which was amazing, and the chemistry was good. With this victory, my goals in the Grand Prix series and the Olympics are becoming a reality. I want to continue to grow as an athlete."

Jeong Woo-hyeok, who hails from Hanseong High School, previously won the 2022 Sofia World Youth Championship and achieved a surprising victory at the 2022 Wushi Grand Slam, gaining early attention as a promising next-generation athlete. This win marks the beginning of his serious pursuit of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

On the first day of the tournament, Korea had eight participants including women’s -57kg athletes Park Hye-jin (Goyang City Hall), Kim Si-woo (Seoul Physical Education High School), Ahn Hye-young (Yeongcheon City Hall), +67kg athletes Yoon Do-hee (Samsung S1), Song Da-bin (Ulsan City Sports Council), Kim Soo-yeon (Chuncheon City Hall), and men's -68kg athletes Jin Ho-jun and Jeong Woo-hyeok, but only Jeong Woo-hyeok made it past the quarterfinals.

This tournament is the first international event held since the reorganization of the WT rankings, transitioning from a participation system focused on lower-ranked athletes to one that offers opportunities to all registered athletes. A maximum of 50 participants per weight class can register on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum of four athletes from each country allowed to compete. Those who place 1st to 3rd will receive entry rights for the first round of the WT Grand Prix series scheduled to be held in Rome in 2026.

The Charlotte 2025 WT Grand Prix Challenge is an open tournament of G2 grade, with 376 athletes from 44 countries around the world participating. Refugee teams and athletes from neutral countries were also included.

On the second day, athletes including men's -58kg competitors Seo Eun-soo (Seongmun High School), Bae Joon-seo (Ganghwa County Hall), Kim Jong-myeong, Ahn Hyang-sik (both from Yongin University), -80kg athletes Yang Ji-woo, Seo Geon-woo (both from Korea National Sport University), Kim Jeong-je (Yeongcheon City Hall), women’s -67kg competitors Lee Ga-eun (Ulsan Sports Science High School), Kim Yu-min (Yongin University), Kwak Min-joo (Korea National Sport University), and Hong Hyo-rim (Yongin University) are expected to participate.

[Photo] Provided by WT.

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