Kimia Alizadeh won the bronze medal in taekwondo in the category up to 57 kilograms in Paris.
The Bulgarian national player defeated the world number 1 Zhongshi Lio from China 2:1 in the battle for the third place.
Alizade prevailed with a 2-1 round in the battle against one of the most titled competitors in the world. In the first round, the two started cautiously and did not score points, and in the end it was awarded to the 26-year-old Bulgarian by 2-1 judges’ votes.
In the second round, the Chinese woman started more actively and led by 1 point, followed by a protest from the Chinese side, after which three more points were awarded to the asset of the rival of the native athlete, and so she took this round 4-0.
The decisive third round got off to a great start for Alizadeh, who landed a kick to her opponent’s head for a 3-0 lead. However, the Chinese immediately returned the attack and equalized for 3-3.
After that, the Iranian woman with a Bulgarian passport delivered another blow to the head of the Chinese woman and took the lead 6-3. Dzongshi returned 2 points and in the end the round ended 6-5 in favor of the Bulgarian. The Chinese team protested, but after reviewing the video, there was no change in the score.
Alizadeh’s medal is her second at the Olympics. In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, she was a bronze medalist for her home country of Iran.
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