Korea Claims Double Gold on Opening Day of Bangkok 2025 World Grand Prix Challenge
BANGKOK, Thailand – Athletes from Team Korea grabbed the first two golds on offer – and a silver – at the Bangkok 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge.
BANGKOK, Thailand – Athletes from Team Korea grabbed the first two golds on offer – and a silver – at the Bangkok 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge.
The four-day event kicked off today at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in the Thai capital, with two Olympic weight categories being contested.
Korea seized both gold and silver in the M-68kg, leaving Spain to take bronze.
Korea also won gold in the W-49kg, with silver going to China and bronze to the home team, Thailand.
Some 241 athletes, representing 29 Member National Associations, are hunting medals across eight categories in Bangkok.
M-68kg
The final was an all-Korean affair, as two-time World Champion Jun Jang took on rookie rising star Jinho Mun.
Mun established an early lead in Round 1, then Jang suffered a low blow – but gamely fought on. Mun, wielding a leg-length advantage, kept his lead, taking the round 8-7.
Oddly, Round 2 started as a low-scoring affair despite a high work rate from both fighters. Things heated up in the final seconds. Jang drew ahead on points when Mun connected with a long, clean kick to the head – winning round, match and gold.
The bronze medal match saw Adrian Vicente Yunta of Spain do battle with Samirkhon Ababakirov of Kazakstan.
After a Spanish win in the first round, and a Kazak win in the second, Vicenta Yunta switched up the aggression in the third. He grabbed a decisive points lead early, and stemmed a final-seconds charge by Ababakirov for a deserved victory in the third.
W-49kg
In the category’s final, Xiaolu Fu of China took on Ye-ji Lee of Korea.
Round 1 started at a wicked pace with Fu taking early control, striking with a very fast combo of oblique and round kicks to the body. In Round 2, both fighters went all-in, landing head kicks, ending the round 9-9. Lee kept herself in the game via superiority.
In Round 3, Lee found her range. Landed again and again, she forced a surprised Fu into errors. The Korean decisively won the round and gold – in what had earlier been a very even match – 10-0.
Bronze went to Patcharakan Poolkerd of Thailand, who defeated Mata Maya of USA.
The Thai fighter’s close-range head kick delivered a win in Round 1, while her sound defensive tactics sealed victory in the second. The soundtrack to the fight was set to max, as the Thai crowd cheered and drummed on their player.
Gold medalists received USD2,500 in prize money, silver medalists USD1,500 and bronze medalists USD1,000.
Perhaps more importantly, medalists qualified for 2026’s elite Grand Prix Series 3 competition, set in Paris, France, in October, where valuable Olympic ranking points are up for grabs.
Ahead of the medal ceremony, World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue and Thailand Taekwondo Association & NOC President Pimol Srivikorn shared a special moment with Thailand’s Olympic heroes — Yaowapa Boorapolchai (Athens 2004 bronze), Dech Sutthikunkal (Athens 2004), and Tawin Hanprab (Rio 2016 silver).
Action resumes in Bangkok tomorrow, with battle taking place in the W+67kg and M-58kg categories.
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