Croatia’s Lena Stojković becomes double world taekwondo champion
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Lena Stojković (Photo: Croatian Taekwondo Federation/archive)
Croatia’s Lena Stojković on Friday defended her title at the World Taekwondo Championships in Baku.
Lena once again secured the world gold medal, making it her second consecutive win, after previously clinching two European titles.
In the final of the -46-kilogram category, 21-year-old Lena emerged victorious with a 2-1 victory against Thailand’s Kamonchanok Seeken in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.
With this remarkable feat, Stojković successfully defended her gold medal at the Taekwondo World Championships. Just six months ago, she triumphed at the world championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has now become the reigning champion of both Europe and the world.
As the top seed, Lena received a bye in the first round. In the second round, she faced the formidable Indian competitor, Twisha Kakadiya, defeating her with scores of 13-5 and 15-5, securing a 2-0 victory in rounds. Advancing to the quarterfinals, Lena once again showcased her prowess by defeating Turkey’s Rukye Yildirim, who boasts five major medals in her career. Stojković emerged victorious with scores of 13-9 and 16-3, securing another 2-0 victory in rounds and advancing to the medal round.
In the quarterfinals, Lena faced a tough opponent in Kazakhstan’s Rita Bakisheva, with the first round ending in Bakisheva’s favor at 3-4. However, Stojković displayed her resilience in the second round, equalizing the score to 1-1 with a 9-3 victory. The tension escalated in the third round, ultimately resulting in an 8-7 victory for Lena. With a final score of 2-0 in rounds, she emerged triumphant, securing her place in the semifinals, where she defeated Japan’s Ruka Okamoto.
Impressively, all four medals won at this World Championship were claimed by athletes from the Taekwondo Club Marjan in Split. Olympic champion Matea Jelić kicked off the championship with a bronze medal, followed by European champion Ivan Šapina, who secured a silver. Joining them on the same day was 18-year-old Bruna Duvančić, who clinched both a world and European senior medal within two years of competing at the senior level.
With her recent victory, Lena Stojković has successfully defended her title as world champion and has accumulated a total of 110 major medals for the Taekwondo Club Marjan, including those from world and European championships as well as the Olympic Games.
