China claims first taekwondo gold at Asiad

Luo Zongshi claimed China's first taekwondo gold of the 2018 Asian Games by winning the women's 57kg on Tuesday.

China's Zongshi Luo, left, competes against Philippine's Pauline Louise Lopez during their women's -57 kilogram Taekwondo semifinals match at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018.[Photo: IC]

Luo, 20-year old, defeated Lee Ahreum of South Korea 6-5 in the final to claim her first Asian Games gold. 

The bronze medal went to Pauline Louise Lopez of the Philippines and Vipawan Siripornpermsak of Thailand as there are no third-place bouts. 

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that emphasizes skill, strength, and speed of kick. It was first introduced in Asian Games in 1986, but missed the 1990 Beijing Asiad.

The 18th Asiad will stage 465 events out of 40 sports, among which 330 events from 32 sports will feature in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 2018 Asian Games, attracting more than 10,000 athletes, will run through Sept. 2.