Taekwondo, also spelled tae kwon do or taekwon-do, is a Korean martial art involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation for taekwondo is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". It sometimes involves the use of weapons.
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Seoul 1988, was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represented at the games by a total of 8,391 athletes. 237 events were held and 27,221 volunteers helped to prepare the Olympics.
Anthony Florian Zaleski, known professionally as Tony Zale, was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his nickname, "Man of Steel", reinforced by his reputation of being able to take fearsome punishment and still rally to win. Zale, who held the world middleweight title multiple times, was known as a crafty boxer and punishing body puncher who wore his opponents down before knocking them out. In 1990, Zale was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George. H. W. Bush.
Steven López is an American taekwondo competitor, a 2000 and 2004 Olympic gold medalist and a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and 4th Dan in taekwondo. In 2001, he won the Lightweight Taekwondo World Championship, and in 2003 he won the Welterweight Taekwondo World Championship which he has since won in 2005, 2007 and 2009 making him the first Taekwondo fighter to win 5 World Championships. With 2 Olympic titles, 5 titles in taekwondo world championships and 1 title in taekwondo world cup he is the most titled champion after Hadi Saei who earns 9 world class titles.
Natália Falavigna da Silva is a taekwondo athlete from Brazil. She finished in the fourth place in the women's 67-kilogram category in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics on August 26, and won the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was the first Brazilian Olympic medal ever in taekwondo.
Lauren Chantel Burns, OAM is an Australian taekwondo practitioner and Olympic champion. She won Australia's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, competing in the women's under 49 kg class. Burns holds the rank of 3rd dan black belt in taekwondo. Following her competitive taekwondo career, she has been involved in a range of activities, including motivational speaking and community work.
Kim Byong-Cheol, also known as Kim Byung Chul, is a South Korean Taekwondo practitioner. He won a gold medal for South Korea at the 1992 Summer Olympics in the Taekwondo featherweight division. Taekwondo was still considered a demonstration sport at that time.
The 1996 World Figure Skating Championships were held in Edmonton, Canada on March 17–24. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
Lee Seung-Min (이승민) is a Korean taekwondo coach and former world champion in women's taekwondo representing South Korea.
Jade Louise Jones is a Welsh taekwondo athlete. She is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist in the women's 57 kg category, and the 2019 World champion, 2016, 2018 and 2021 European champion and both 2015 European Games and 2023 European Games champion at the same weight, the only two-time gold medalist at her weight in the history of those Games. In 2012, she won Britain's first taekwondo Olympic gold medal. Jones was at the time the reigning Youth Olympic champion in the girls' 55 kg category, winning gold for Great Britain in 2010.
Carmen Marton is a taekwondo athlete from Australia. She is Australia's first ever world taekwondo champion.
Bianca Cook, also known as Bianca Walkden is a British taekwondo athlete and Olympian. She is a three-time World champion, twice World Grand Prix champion, four-time European champion and a double Olympic medallist.
Milica Mandić is a Serbian taekwondo athlete. She is a two-time Olympic champion in the +67 kg category, as well as World champion in the same category.
Hedaya Malak Wahba is an Egyptian taekwondo practitioner. She participated in the Olympic Games in London in 2012, won a bronze medal in Rio 2016, and another bronze medal in Tokyo 2020.
Ineabelle Díaz Santana is a Puerto Rican taekwondo practitioner, who competed in the women's welterweight category. She picked up a total of ten medals in her career, including two from the World Taekwondo Championships and a bronze from the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Diaz also competed for Puerto Rico in a demonstration event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and later attained a fifth-place finish in the 67-kg division at the 2004 Summer Olympics, narrowly missing out the nation's first Olympic medal since 1996.
Herbert J. "Herb" Perez is a former US Olympian in taekwondo and a politician. He was a gold medalist in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Taekwondo is one of the most popular and practiced martial arts in India. It is characterized by punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques. The literal translation for tae kwon do is "kicking," "punching," and "the art or way of."
Won Sun-jin is a South Korean taekwondo practitioner.
Katherine Dumar is a Colombian taekwondo practitioner.
Gili Liel Haimovitz is an Israeli taekwondo fighter. In 2009 he won the gold medal in the -45 kg category at the European Taekwondo Junior Championships, and at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games he won a gold medal in the under-48-kilogram event.
New York City, United States 
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