S. Korea takes 2nd straight men's, women's overall titles at taekwondo worlds

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has defended its men's and women's overall crowns at the World Taekwondo Championships. South Korea, the birthplace of the martial art, led all countries with four gold medals and seven medals in total at the competition that wrapped up at Manchester Arena in Manchester on Sunday (local time). SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has defended its men's and women's overall crowns at the World Taekwondo Championships. South Korea, the birthplace of the martial art, led all countries with four gold medals and seven medals in total at the competition that wrapped up at Manchester Arena in Manchester on Sunday (local time). In this photo provided by the World Taekwondo, Jang Jun of South Korea celebrates his gold medal in the men's under-58 kilogram division at the World Taekwondo Championships at Manchester Arena in Manchester, Britain, on May 16, 2019. (Yonhap) hide caption previousnext1 of 2 In the team standings, with points awarded based on each athlete's performance, South Korea was first in both men's and women's competitions with 315 points and 320 points, respectively. On the men's side, Bae Jun-seo (under-54 kilogram) and Jang Jun (under-58 kilogram) were the gold medalists for South Korea, with Lee Dae-hoon and Park Woo-hyeok each adding a bronze medal in the under-68kg and under-80kg, respectively. Jang was named the MVP of the men's competition. There were also two South Korean champions from the women's events, with Sim Jae-young winning her second straight title in the under-46kg and Lee Da-bin reaching the top of the podium in the under-73kg. Lee Ah-reum was the silver medalist in the under-57kg division. The changing of the guard is in full swing for men. Bae, Jang and Park, three of the four male medalists, were all born in 2000. And Jang, in particular, upset three-time world champion Kim Tae-hun in the national team trials, before capturing gold in his world championship debut. jeeho@yna.co.kr (END)