Cha wins gold in Men's +80 Taekwondo

  2008-08-23 13:51:40 GMT    2008-08-23 21:51:40 (Beijing Time)    BOCOG

  (BEIJING, August 23) -- Cha Dong-min of the Republic of Korea won his first major championship title on Saturday by defeating European champion Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece 5-4 in a thrilling final match of the Men's +80 weight class in the Olympic Taekwondo competition.

  Cha attacked impressively in the first round. Nikolaidis received two points for a pair of defensive kicks, while Cha scored from two offensive kicks, including a two-point kick. The first round finished with Cha leading 3-2.

  In the second round, Nikolaidis began to be more aggressive with he and Cha receiving one point each for offensive kicks.

  With a narrow 4-3 lead, Cha became more defensive in the last round. Nikolaidis' one�Cpoint offensive kick kept his hopes alive, but a defensive kick by Cha secured the Olympic gold medal.