Ruth Gbagbi, already a medalist in 2016 at the Rio Games with bronze, did it again on Monday, July 26, this time in Tokyo, and always with the same metal. She beat Brazilian Milena Titoneli in the bronze final.
And bis repetita! As in Rio five years ago, Ruth gbagbi climbed the Olympic podium. She is the first representative of West Africa to win a medal since the start of the Tokyo Olympics.
“I will never forget August 19, 2016,” said the Ivorian athlete at the time, who has been practicing taekwondo since he was 9 years old. She should also keep this new date in mind. Of course, she really aimed for a different result for these games in Japan. But she still receives today the fourth Olympic medal in the history of the Ivory Coast at the Games.
The title five times at the African Championships
Ruth Gbagbi advanced to the quarterfinals after the disqualification of the Congolese Naomie Katoka, who did not participate in the weigh-in on Sunday. She defeated China’s Mengyu Zhang in the next round before being beaten in the semi-finals by Britain’s Lauren Willians. To Ivorian delight, taekwondo reappeared as a medal sport in Sydney in 2000; The Abidjan woman became world champion in 2017 in the country of sports, South Korea.
Taekwondo is practiced by about 80 million people in more than 200 countries and territories and is a popular sport in the Ivory Coast. Taekwondo gave me respect and then I can handle my emotions. Before I skipped school I hung out in the neighborhood, I liked to play video games, but as soon as I joined the national team I did “training break”, it was routine, it suited me and it made me able to be who I am today “, she said just before the games started.
The title five times at the African Championships and the gold medal at the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville, Ruth Gbagbi is the second woman from West Africa to win two medals at the Olympics. Cameroonian Françoise Mbango, a triple jump specialist, was adorned with gold during the 2004 Athens and Beijing 2008 Games.
Unlike in 2016, there was no gold medal for the Ivory Coast since his countrymen Cheick Cisse was eliminated in the round of 16 by Moroccan Achraf Mahboubi.
.
