(2nd LD) (Asian Games) S. Korean taekwondo fighter Lee Ah-reum takes silver in women's 57kg

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By Joo Kyung-don

JAKARTA, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- Taekwondo fighter Lee Ah-reum failed to defend her Asiad title on Tuesday.

Lee lost to Luo Zongshi of China, 6-5, in the women's taekwondo 57-kilogram "kyorugi" (sparring) final at 18th Asian Games to settle for South Korea's third taekwondo sparring silver at this year's Asian Games.

Lee and Luo were neck-and-neck going into the final. After ending the first round scoreless, Lee took the lead first by earning two points in the second round.

Luo made the score 4-2 after landing a kick to Lee's head, along with a penalty point. With just four seconds remaining, Lee leveled the score with a punch and a penalty point.

She then almost sealed the victory by executing a punch attack with two seconds left, but at the same time, Luo fought back with a body kick and earned two points for the victory.

At Jakarta Convention Center Plenary Hall, Lee, who is also the 2017 world champion, started her Asian Games campaign with a 17-8 win over Pham Thi Thu Hien of Vietnam in the round of 16. She then edged Kashish Malik of India 17-8 in the quarterfinals.

Lee also had a close match against Vipawan Siripornpermsak of Thailand in the semifinal. She trailed 10-7 with less than 30 seconds left, but landed two body kicks to get a thrilling 12-10 win.

Lee said she misread Luo's move in the last second.

"I thought I could win with my last punch attack, but apparently Luo had a long reach and her kick landed on my body," she said. "It's a mistake that I made and that determined the result."

Lee said she'll work harder to improve and put forth a better performance next time.

"It's so regrettable, but everything isn't over," she said. "I'll have Grand Prix, and other international events, so I'll do my best to avoid making the same mistakes again."

kdon@yna.co.kr
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