Gold Rush for Mexico, Spain and Uzbekistan

Day 4 of the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships today delivered gold to Spain, Uzbekistan and Mexico.

After a packed day of action on five fields of play, the categories contested in the evening at the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano tonight were M-74g, W+73kg and M+87kg.

Clearly, the host country is on a roll in Guadalajara. As of Day 4, Team Mexico leads the field with three gold medals.

+73kg -74kg

The final pitted Dana Azran of Israel against Svetlana Osipova of Uzbekistan.

In the first, the Uzbek went one up for a fall, before the Israeli equalized with a punch, then landed a body kick. The pace accelerated and both fighters landed to the torso, taking the board to 3-3. The round ended with a win for Azran on superiority.

In Round 2, both fighters lit up the scoreboard in a good, clean fight with minimal clinching or refereering and plentiful bootwork. The Uzbek drew ahead, 4-2, 6-4 and 6-5, taking the fight to the third round.

The final was a faceoff between Edival Pontes of Brazil and Daniel Quesada Barrera of Spain.

Round 1 started with both men fighting cleanly with textbook techniques – round, ax and back kicks – but it was the Spaniard whose rangefinder locked on, as he connected with body kicks, taking the round, 5-1.

In the second, Pontes opened the scoring with a jump spin ning back kick for four points. Quesada Barrera struck with a body kick for two. Then it started to fall apart for Pontes. A risky jump ing spinning heel kick saw him visit the mats and the board went to 4-3. Then the Spaniard drew ahead, 5-4, fighting with more

Round 3 proved anti-climactic with both players fighting hard, but not scoring. The match went to superiority, granting gold to Osipova and silver to Azran.

Bronzes were won by Lorena Brandl of Germany and Marlene Jahl of Austria.

The most thunderous roars yet heard in the competition venue sounded as local hero Carlos Sansores strode into the arena to take on Ivan Garcia Martinez of Spain in the final. Both men went to work with Sansores looked heavier on his feet - until he suddenly connected with a cobra-fast frontfoot round kick to the head for three points. Then, he landed a body kick, and in a complex tumble, Garcia Martinez connected to Sansores’ head, but fell. The Mexican took Round 1, 6-3. Round 2 continued with both fighters fighting hard but not scoring. In the final ten seconds Sansores again unleashed his patented, flicking round kick to the head for three points. Garcia Martinez launched a desperate last-seconds offensive but it was too late: Gold for Mexico in the second.

Needless to say, the crowd were beyond ecstatic. It would later take Sansores hours to leave the venue, due to the press of fans demanding authographs and selfies.

Bronzes were won by Sajjad Mardani of Iran and Zhaoxiang

Day 5 of the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships saw gold medals slung around American and Chinese necks.

The categories contested at Guadalajara’s Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano were the W-53kg and the M-63kg. Both fights went down to the final seconds. And the final seconds of the women’s fight - arguably the most dramatic of this championships so far – will be one that pundits will rewatching for years.