BTF earns two places for Rio 2016
7 December 2015
Belgium proved to be taekwondo’s finest at the G8 tournament in Mexico City. The country earned two quotaplaces for the Olympic taekwondo-tournament in Rio De Janeiro 2016.
On the first day of this Super Grand Slam in Mexico City Si Mohamed Ketbi (17) got off to a fantastic start in the flyweight-division (-58). The 17-year old got eliminated in the first round by Kim Tae Hun from Korea. But due to the elimination of Lucas Guzman in the first round and the fact that two Korean athletes finished in the top-6 of the Olympic ranking -58, Ketbi secured the first quotaplace for Belgium.
More success for Belgium on the second day of competition in the male featherweight (-68) competition. World champion Jaouad Achab (23)went on to the semi-finals after the withdrawal of Joel Gonzalez Bonilla in the first round. In the semis the Antwerp resident lost to Lee Dae Hoon from Korea. The bronze medal game was a match-up between world number one Aleksey Denisenko and world champion Achab. Won by Achab after a close nailbiter (3-2). This result was more than enough to secure Belgium’s second quotaplace for Rio 2016.
New Belgian taekwondo succes at the Olympics. It’s no longer a dream. 11 years after Laurence Rase lighted Belgium’s taekwondo sparkle at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, two new Belgians will enter the competition in Rio De Janeiro. As the locals say in Brazil ‘Rio, aqui vamos nos’. Rio, here we come.
