China retain Women’s World Taekwondo Team Championships title

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Europe

00:57

The World Taekwondo Team Championship ended in the United Arab Emirates last Sunday with China winning the women's title by beating Cote d'Ivoire to claim the title for their fourth straight year.

In the final, the Chinese side consisted of Zhou Lijun, Luo Zongshi, Zhang Mengyu, Zheng Shuyin, and Wen Renyuntao. There were four bouts in the team format, and each squad consisted of four competitors and one substitute.

The first round lasted for four minutes and each team member needed to compete for one minute according to their weight in order from lightest to heaviest. The taller, leggier Chinese took an early lead and never relinquished it despite a brave effort from the attacking Africans, who carried the fight forward in all rounds, with World Champ Ruth Gbagbi, playing a central role in the game plan.

Then Luo, Zhang, and Zheng built on that advantage. At the end of the first round, the Chinese lead 14-6.

The second round was three minutes long and by the end, China was up 32-10. The third and fourth rounds were four minutes each, and the Chinese ladies continued to dominate as they went on to win 77-41 to claim the women's title for the fourth year in a row, and fifth since the team championships began in 2006.