SUZHOU, China (July 5, 2014) - Chinese Taipei, Korea and the Isle of Man took one gold medal each on the second day of the 2014 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series 1 in Suzhou, China on July 5, 2014.

 

In the women's -67kg final match, Chinese Taipei's Chia Chia Chuang, the silver medalist at the 2013 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in Manchester, the United Kingdom, beat Russia's Anastasiia Baryshnikova, the bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympic Games and the bronze medalist at the 2013 Manchester Grand Prix Final, 7-4 to win the gold medal and a top prize money of $5,000.

 

Chuang advanced to the final match by brushing aside a stiff challenge from host China's Hua Zhang to win a semifinal match 9-8. In the same weight category, the bronze went to Azerbaijan's Farida Azizova and China's Zhang.

 

Korea's Kyung-seon Hwang, the gold medal winner both at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games, failed to reach the semifinal round as she was defeated by Russian Baryshnikova 9-3 in a quarterfinal match.

 

The three-day Suzhou Grand Prix event, which takes place at the Suzhou Sports Center, continues until July 6 with the attendance of a total of 236 top athletes from 57 countries.

 

In the men's -58kg final match, Korea's Taehun Kim, the silver medalist at the 2013 Manchester Grand Prix Final, defeated Brazil's Guilherme Alves 11-8 to earn his country the gold medal. Argentina's Lucas Guzman and Australia's Safwan Khalil shared the bronze medal.

 

In the men's -80kg final match, the Isle of Man's Aaron Cook, the bronze medal winner at the 2013 Manchester Grand Prix Final, came from behind to edge Russia's Albert Gaun, the silver medal winner at the 2013 Manchester Grand Prix Final, 4-3 for the gold medal and a top prize money of $5,000.

 

Cook required a fourth golden-point round against France's Torann Maizeron to reach the final contest. In the male category, the bronze went to French Maizeron and Argentina's Sebastian Crismanich, the gold medal winner at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

 

Steven Lopez of the United States, the gold medalist both at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games, failed to advance to the quarterfinal round as he was beaten 5-4 in a round of 16 by Argentina's Crismanich.

 

The third and final day of the competition, on July 6, will feature two weight divisions: the women's -57kg and the men's -68kg.