Taekwondo has been practiced professionally for many years, but it first became an olympic sport in 1992.
Since then, there have been many fantastic fighters that have made a name for themselves in Taekwondo. But which fighter is the best?
We have put together this list of the best Taekwondo fighters in the world so you can learn more about them. Keep reading to find out who they are.
Current Top Performing Athletes
These are the athletes that currently hold the highest scores in olympic Taekwondo.
Vito Dell’Aquila
Vito currently holds the most points for Olympic level Taekwondo and he won the gold medal in the 2020 olympics. He is 21 years old and comes from Italy.
He trains as part of the Carabinieri Bologna Club. At the time of winning his medal he weighed in at 58 kilograms which puts him in the flyweight category.
He has previously won a bronze medal in the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships.
Jun Jang
Jun Jang is a Taekwondo athlete from South Korea. He holds the second highest number of points and won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics.
He weighs 54 kilograms so is in a lighter weight category than Vito, and is 22 years old.
In 2018 he won a gold medal at the Asian Taekwondo Championships and has also won two World Taekwondo Grand Prix Titles.
Jack Woolley
Although Jack did not win a medal at the 2020 Olympics, he competed for his home country of Ireland and built up an impressive number of scores in the 58kg men’s category.
He is 23 years old. He is an openly gay athlete which has made him a role model for many young people all over the world.
Sadly, he was attacked not long after the olympics by a violent gang when he returned to Dublin.
It is thought to be a homophobic hate crime. He has received lots of support from his fans and is still competing regularly.
Adrian Vicente
Adrian Vicente is a top performing Taekwondo athlete from Spain. He is 23 years old and comes from Madrid.
He has competed in various championships and competitions, and won a gold medal in the 2018 European Taekwondo Championships. He weighs in at 58 kilograms.
Panipak Wongpattanakit
Panipak is currently ranked as the top female Taekwondo athlete in the world. She is 24 years old and comes from Thailand.
She weighs in at around 49 kilograms.
She has an impressive number of medals including a gold medal at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships, a bronze medal in the 2016 summer olympics, a bronze medal in the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships, a gold medal in the 2018 Asian games, a gold medal in the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships, and a gold medal in the 2020 olympics.
In 2019 she received an award for Female Athlete of The Year at the 2019 World Taekwondo Gala Awards.
Adriana Cerezo
Adriana is the second highest scoring female Taekwondo athlete which is very impressive given that is only 18.
She comes from Alcala De Henares in Spain and weighs 49 kilograms. She trains as part of the Hankuk international school.
She won a gold medal at the European Taekwondo Championships aged just 17, then qualified for the 2020 Olympics where she won a silver medal.
Tijana Bogdanovic
Tijana is a Serbian Taekwondo athlete who is 24 years old. She has a University degree in psychology but has been competing in Taekwondo from the age of four.
In 2014 she represented Serbia in the Youth olympics, and in 2015 she won a bronze medal in the World Taekwondo Championships.
In the 2015 European games she won a silver medal, and was awarded the best young athlete in Serbia in the same year.
In 2016 she won a gold medal at the European Taekwondo Championships and made her olympic debut at age 18, winning a silver medal.
She was then awarded Sportswoman of the year by the olympic committee of serbia.
She won a gold medal at the 2019 World Taekwondo Grand Prix and won a bronze medal at the 2020 summer olympics.
Best Taekwondo Athletes Of All Time
Who is the best performing Taekwondo athlete of all time?
Steven Lopez
Steven Lopez is an American Taekwondo athlete who is considered by many to be the greatest Taekwondo athlete of all time.
He has won the World Taekwondo Championship 6 times, a bronze medal at the 2008 olympics, and then two consecutive gold medals at the 2000 and 2004 olympics.
He has also won multiple medals in various other Taekwondo championships including the Grand Prix, the Pan American Games and Pan American Championships.
Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei is one of the only olympic gold medalists from Iran. He achieved a bronze medal at the 2000 olympics, and then gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 olympics.
He also has bronze, silver and gold medals in the World Taekwondo championships.
He has competed and won medals in the Busan Asian Games, the Doha Asian Games, and the Asian Championships.
Servet Tazegul
This Turkish Taekwondo athlete has a reputation for being very handsome, but his skills are also very noteworthy.
In the 2020 Olympics he won a bronze and a gold medal. He has also won a bronze medal and two gold medals in the World Taekwondo Championships.
He has won a gold medal in the European Taekwondo Championships five times and won a bronze medal in the Taekwondo Grand Prix.
Hwang Kyung-Seon
Hwang is considered to be the best female Taekwondo athlete of all time. She is from South Korea and has won medals at three olympic games – a bronze medal in 2004, and gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
She has also won a bronze medal and two gold medals in the Taekwondo world championships and a gold medal at the Asian Games.
Summary
There are some very impressive Taekwondo athletes who have been competing for a long time, but the new generation of athletes are set to be just as great if not better.
Comentários