Paris: Teenager Viviana Marton made history for Hungary by winning gold in the women’s taekwondo welterweight division at the Paris Games on Friday, marking the nation’s first Olympic medal in the sport. Marton clinched victory with a dominant performance, defeating Serbia’s Aleksandra Perisic 7-1, 4-2 in the final at the Grand Palais, finishing with a decisive kick to the body.
“I can’t believe it right now, but I feel that all the hard work makes this medal,” Marton said. “It’s very important for me and for my country, for Hungary, because it’s the first medal in taekwondo. I hope there’ll be more taekwondo players, girls and boys.”
The 18-year-old’s path to gold included victories over seasoned competitors, including twice Olympic bronze medallist Ruth Gbagbi of Ivory Coast and Belgium’s 2022 world champion Sarah Chaari, who later secured bronze in the event.
Marton, who proudly held and waved a Canary Islands flag post-victory, revealed her connection to the islands, saying she and her sister were born there and lived there for 12 years.
In a surprising twist of the Games’ unpredictability, three top contenders did not make it to the finals. In the men’s welterweight division, Tunisia’s Firas Katoussi emerged victorious, defeating Iran’s Mehran Barkhordari with scores of 4-2, 5-1. Katoussi’s semi-final win came after a dramatic last-minute kick to the body against America’s top gold medal hope, CJ Nickolas.
Nickolas, who had previously won silver at the world championships, faced a series of challenging bouts, including a close contest against Italy’s 2022 world champion Simone Alessio, who defeated him to win bronze. Denmark’s Edi Hrnic also secured a bronze medal.
Also Read | Bittersweet Olympic Legacy for Seine-Saint-Denis: Hopes and Disappointments
Reflecting on his performance, Nickolas admitted, “I put the raw version of myself out there for everybody to see. And it was a massive risk and I failed. I gotta do some soul searching to figure out what that means. (People) don’t want to just see crazy kicks. They want to see me win. And I need to figure out how I win. How do I turn these into wins?”
Also Read | Paris 2024: Tamirat Tola Sets Olympic Record in Marathon, Kipchoge Withdraws
In another upset, French world champion Magda Wet-Henin’s gold medal hopes were dashed by 18-year-old American Kristina Teachout in the round of 16. Teachout went on to earn bronze in the women’s division.
