WUXI, China, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Hungary's 19-year-old Luana Marton captured her second world title at the World Taekwondo Championships on Tuesday, defeating Brazil's Milena Titoneli 2-0 in the women's 67kg final.
Marton took the opening round 8-1 with an aggressive attacking display. In the second round, she used her close-range advantage to maintain control and held her lead to the end, sealing a 2-0 victory and the gold medal.
Two years ago, Marton claimed her first world title in the women's 57kg at the Baku World Championships, becoming the first Hungarian woman to win a senior world championship gold in taekwondo.
This time she competed alongside her twin sister, Viviana Marton, an Olympic champion, who will take part in the women's 62kg division.
"My feeling is crazy. I don't know if this is real or not. It feels like a dream. I worked so hard for this moment, and I think it's magical," said Marton after the match.
"It was really tough. My opponent was very strong and professional. I just tried to stay focused and keep my rhythm. I told myself I wanted to be perfect, not just good, and that made the difference," she added.
Nigeria's Elizabeth Oluchi Anyanacho and Spain's Lena Moreno Reyes shared the bronze medals.
China's Song Jie faced Marton in the quarterfinals but lost 2-1, missing out on a semifinal berth. "Overall, I was in good form," said Song. "In the first round, I followed the coach's tactical plan, but in the next two rounds, I focused too much on one point and failed to adjust in time. Compared with my first world championships, I felt more relaxed this time."
In the men's 68kg final, Thailand's world No. 1 Banlung Tubtimdang defeated South Korea's Seong Yu-hyeon 2-0. Tubtimdang had previously won bronze in the men's 63kg event at the 2023 Baku World Championships. "I'm really happy. Last year I trained very hard, and now I finally achieved something. It feels incredible," he said.
The United States' Maikol Rodriguez and Croatia's Matija Crep shared the bronze medals.
The championships will continue on Wednesday with the men's 58kg and women's 62kg categories. ■
