Start date 2000 Competitors 12 | Venue State Sports Centre | |
Location State Sports Centre, Sydney, Australia | ||
The women's 49 kg competition in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney took place on September 27 at the State Sports Centre.
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26-year-old Lauren Burns thrilled the Aussie home crowd inside the venue, as she crushed Cuban fighter Urbia Melendez 4–2 to earn the women's flyweight title on the first day of the sport's major Olympic debut. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei's Chi Shu-ju prevailed a bronze medal victory over Denmark's Hanne Høgh Poulsen with a score of 4–0. Earlier in the prelims, Poulsen came from behind to deliver a 4–3 upset on the 18-year-old U.S. fighter and medal favorite Kay Poe, who got a chance to compete only for the sake of her bestfriend and fellow sportswoman Esther Kim; thus, Poe's premature exit from the tournament had become a dramatic ending to a story of courage and selflessness that deeply stirred the hearts of the crowd, garnering her a standing ovation from the International Olympic Committee and an utmost respect for her sport. Easing the torment from Poe's elimination, she and Kim had offered front-row seats for the final next to IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Competition format
The main bracket consisted of a single elimination tournament, culminating in the gold medal match. The taekwondo fighters eliminated in earlier rounds by the two finalists of the main bracket advanced directly to the repechage tournament. These matches determined the bronze medal winner for the event.
Schedule
All times are Greece Standard Time (UTC+2)