TO win a taekwondo gold medal without doing much fighting is an accomplishment.

    And that is largely how China’s Zheng Shuyin took the women’s heavyweight division title in a slow-paced final against Mexico’s Maria Espinoza at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday night.

    Both fighters often appeared unwilling to spar and were penalized by the referee for passivity.

    But Zheng’s cautious, defensive approach ultimately allowed her to defeat Espinoza by a score of 5 to 0. Her considerable height advantage — she is six inches (15 cm) taller — also kept Espinoza at a distance while she used her longer legs to score quick points.

    “I had this goal to become the Olympic champion but I knew it would not be easy,” she said. Zheng said she hadn’t yet decided how she would celebrate and would consult with her coach and the team.

    The match was devoid of any of the more spectacular spinning techniques that taekwondo is known for; Espinoza attempted to score mainly by punching.

    Zheng said she fought defensively because she worried that her opponents would be faster than her and had adopted strategies to counter her spinning kicks. “Maybe I need to change my strategy to improve my score in the future,” she said.

    (SD-Agencies)