Paralympics 2024: A guide to Para-taekwondo at the Paris Games
Iran’s Mahdi Pourrahnama goes up against Mexico’s Juan Garcia in the gold-medal bout at the Tokyo Paralympics
- Published
Key information
Dates: 29-31 August
Venue: Grand Palais
Gold medals on offer: Ten
What are the rules and classifications of Para-taekwondo?
After making its debut at Tokyo 2020, there is an expanded Para-taekwondo programme for Paris.
While the sport has similarities to the Olympic version, the one key difference is that kicks to the head are not allowed and punches are not allowed because not all athletes can block in the same way.
All of the scoring is based on kicks to the trunk with competitors wearing body protectors with in-built electronics. Two points are awarded for a valid kick to the trunk protector, three points for a valid turn kick and four for a valid spinning kick. In addition, one point is awarded for every penalty given to the opponent.
At the Paris Games there will be one division (K44) for athletes who compete in the K43 or K44 category.
The K43 category includes athletes who have impairments in both arms above the elbow while the K44 category includes athletes who have impairments in one arm above the elbow.
There will be five weight categories per gender - two more than Tokyo - men's up to 58kg, -63kg, -70kg, -80kg and more than 80kg and women's up to 47kg, -52kg, -57kg, -65kg and over 65kg.
Each division will have 12 athletes meaning that there will be a repechage system in place and two bronze medals will be awarded.
Bouts are made up of three rounds of two minutes with a one-minute break between rounds. If athletes are tied after three rounds, a golden-point round takes place with the winner the first fighter to two points.
Which athletes will be competing for GB in Paris
GB will have a three-strong team in Paris with the trio all in with good medal chances.
Beth Munro won Britain’s first medal in the sport, taking silver in Tokyo just two years after taking up the sport. Since then she has become European champion and leads the world rankings in the -65kg event.
Current world champion Amy Truesdale has been a pioneer of the sport and won bronze in Tokyo and wants to improve on that in France where she will compete in the over 65kg event.
And after missing Tokyo 2020 through injury, Matt Bush will be making his debut in the men’s over 80kg division. Bush created history in 2019 when he became Britain’s first male Para world champion in the sport and followed that with another gold at last year’s Worlds in Mexico.
Who are the other challengers?
Five of the six Tokyo gold medallists are back to defend their title and with the sport continuing to grow and develop, standards are rising.
Nations represented in Paris include Nepal, Fiji and Papua New Guinea as well as more traditional powerhouses like Turkey, Mexico and Iran plus Brazil, who topped the Tokyo standings with three medals.
Among the defending champions are Denmark’s Lisa Gjessing who goes in the same -65kg category as Munro and beat the Briton to gold in Tokyo. Gjessing has won every honour in the sport and was one of her nation’s flagbearers at the opening ceremony in Japan.
Mexico’s Claudia Romero and Italy’s Antonino Bossolo, who were voted 2023 Best Para Athletes by World Taekwondo, will be hoping to add to their honours.
Romero, who competes in the -47kg event, triumphed in last year’s Paris Grand Prix while Bossolo won a surprise gold in the -63kg event at the Worlds while Romero’s compatriot Jessica Garcia Quijano is one to watch in the -52kg division.
Did you know?
Afghanistan athlete Zakia Khudadadi will be competing in her second Games in Paris and hoping that she can continue to make an impact on and off the mat.
A week before the 2021 Tokyo Games, she was evacuated from the Afghanistan capital Kabul along with sprinter Hossain Rasouli. The pair spent a week in France before travelling to Japan to compete at the Games.
It saw Khudadadi become Afghanistan's first female Paralympian since 2004.
The 25-year-old is now based in Paris and won gold in the -47kg event at last year's European Para Championships
ParalympicsGB Tokyo medals
Two - one silver (Beth Munro) and one bronze (Amy Truesdale)