Four-member taekwondo team of the Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation (CCSF) in their international debut met their pre-tournament target of three medals as they won two gold medals and one bronze medal as well as scooping awards at the just-concluded 8th Korean Cup Taekwondo championship, which was held last week at the Accra Sports Stadium, Ghana.
The duo of 19-year-old Peter Itiku and 17-year-old Elizabeth Anyanacho won gold medals in the male -87kg category and female -73kg category, while 21-year-old Darius Danlami clinched the bronze medal in the male -63kg.
Itiku defeated Ghana’s Asiedu Seth 27-15 in the quarter-final, Ghana’s Mohammed Amidu Abass 17-3 in the semi-final before snatching the gold by beating Ghana’s fan favourite, Raphael Gaga, 19-14 in the final.
Anyanacho demolished her first opponent, Ghana’s Boatemaa Elizabeth, 15-2 in the semi-final before clinching the gold by knocking out Ghana’s Laryea Chrisanne in the second round when the score was at 9-0.
Danlami beat Ghana’s Lanwadan Patrick 18-6 in the preliminary round. He then came from behind to snatch a nail-biting 14-13 victory over Togo’s Hamidu Tahiru in the quarter-final before losing to Niger Republic’s Ibrahim Idrissa in the semi-final.
CCSF’s fourth athlete, Chinonso Ogbonna, failed to make it past the preliminary stage as he was beaten by Ghana’s Sahibu Mateen Abdul 21-9.
Also, Anyanacho won the best female athlete of the tournament award, while Itiku won the most promising male athlete award.
Hundreds of athletes from five countries participated in the championships – Ghana, Nigeria, Niger Republic, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire.
Nine-member Niger Republic came away as the top team with a total of five gold medal, two silver and one bronze medals.
The 8th Korean Cup Taekwondo Championships was hosted by the Ghana Taekwondo Federation and sponsored by the Korea Embassy in Accra, Ghana.
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