Youth Olympic Taekwondo: Christopher Lee misses out on third medal for Singapore after 12-1 quarter-final defeat

Story by Kenneth Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports

International Convention Centre, Wednesday, August 18, 2010 — Singapore’s final taekwondo representative Christopher Lee was in contention for Singapore’s third medal of the Games when he received a bye to the Men’s 73kg quarter-final. He faced a tall task against current world junior champion Kim Jin Hak and eventually succumbed 12-1 to the mighty Korean.

Hordes of Singapore supporters filled the stands in the competition hall, creating a carnival-like atmosphere when Christopher stepped onto the platform.

However, it was clear right from the start that the Korean had the upper hand as he took a three-point lead within seconds, with a kick to Christopher’s head.

Christopher tried to fight back with a couple of kicks towards the Korean’s abdomen but both were unsuccessful. Instead it was Kim who claimed another point with a kick towards Christopher’s abdomen to end Round One 4-0 up.

The commencement of Round Two saw Kim briefly scoring another point with a direct kick.

Christopher’s response was good as he answered back with a similar kick that earned him the first point of the duel and a roaring applause from the stands.

Despite being 4-1 down, Christopher remained cautious, waiting for Kim to make the first moves. That decision backfired as Kim capitalised on his uncertainty to land a turning kick, scoring two points in the process.

The score was 8-1 in favour of Kim when the duel went into Round Three. It was the same story with the aggressive Korean doing all the attacking, limiting Christopher to a couple of unsuccessful retaliatory kicks.

It was no surprise that Kim soon scored another three points with a kick to the head. Kim then extended his lead to 12-1 with a direct kick.

It looked like Christopher had a way back into the match when Kim laid down on the platform with an injury to his right knee with barely a minute left. However Christopher could not capitalise on his chances.

Singapore coach Wong Liang Ming called for a video replay with 56 seconds left when a kick towards Kim’s abdomen was allegedly not spotted by the referee. However the appeal was rejected after a tense wait.

The closing moments saw Christopher make a couple of good kicks but it was in vain as he fell to a 12-1 defeat.

Christopher appeared a downbeat man after the duel. “I tried my best to win a medal for Singapore but I couldn’t. I’m very disappointed.”

He had no previous experience in playing the Korean. When asked how he prepared for the duel, the 16-year-old said: “I tried to do what I normally do and to try my best.”

When asked about the unsuccessful appeal in Round Three, he responded: “From my position I thought I scored the point, but maybe from the referee’s, he did not. “

Singapore coach Mdm Wong Liang Ming revealed that Christopher has been suffering from flu since the first day of stay at the Youth Olympic village and had lost 3kg in the process.

“He’s done very well considering his condition. It was a valiant effort against the current world champion,” said the 47-year-old.

Christopher’s loss marked the end of the journey for the Singapore taekwondo representatives , with Daryl Tan and Shafinas Abdul Rahman clinching bronze medals while Nur Zakirah Zakaria and Christopher fell in their respective quarter-finals.

Mdm Wong was a proud woman when asked about her team’s achievements.

“We got two medals which was not expected of us. I felt they have performed to their best abilities. It’s also important that they enjoyed the process of competing. All in all, it was a great outing for us and I get to keep my job!” she concluded.

For Singapore fixtures and results, go to our 2010 YOG fixtures page

For Singapore fixtures and results, go to our 2010 YOG fixtures page