(Asian Games) Taekwondo fighter shows winner's dignity in gold medal bout

JAKARTA, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- It's normal for athletes to celebrate their victory on the stage, especially when they take a gold medal.

But that wasn't the case for South Korean taekwondo fighter Lee Dae-hoon.

Lee, 26, won a gold medal in the men's taekwondo 68-kilogram division sparring competition at the 18th Asian Games on Thursday after beating Amirmohammad Bakhshikalhori of Iran 12-10 in the final at Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta.

It was Lee's third Asiad gold medal after topping the men's 63kg division at Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014. He is now the first taekwondo practitioner to collect gold medals in three straight Asian Games.

Despite this honor, Lee didn't celebrate when he beat Bakhshikalhori, a 19-year-old who topped the Asian Championships earlier this year. For Lee, showing respect to his opponent was more important than celebrating his victory.

"It was really a difficult bout," Lee said. "I also have memories of defeat, and when I saw the Iranian fighter looking very disappointed, I just decided not to celebrate."

Winner or loser, showing dignity and respect aren't just a one-time show for Lee. At the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics, he lost to Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan, and had to give up his gold medal hopes. But instead of showing his anger, Lee raised Abughaush's arm with a smile and accepted his defeat.

Still, Lee knows what he has achieved at the Asian Games.

"It's a big honor for me," he said. "I can't believe that I have won three straight gold medals at the Asian Games."

Against Bakhshikalhori, Lee finished the first round 4-1 down. He cut the deficit to one point after he successfully landed three straight punches. The three-time world champion then made body kicks to secure a sweet, come-from-behind win.

"I tried lots of kicks, but that didn't lead to points," he said. "Instead of wasting my energy with kicks, I decided to go for punches and it had a positive influence on my game."

Lee, who has been representing South Korea since 2010, said that his consistent performance is a result of hard work.

"I just did my job every day," he said. "Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. But I won't think about the result very much. I'll just keep trying to make improvements to fight a better match."

Lee's next goal is to win the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He has yet to win gold at the Summer Games, having taken silver at London 2012 and bronze at Rio 2016.

"Although it's not confirmed yet, I'll be able to go to the Olympics if I can perform like I've been doing," he said. "I'll do my best to compete at the Olympics."

kdon@yna.co.kr
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