A Florida teen will be leaving Paris with an Olympic medal after capturing bronze in taekwondo on Friday.
Kristina Teachout, who was beaten in the quarterfinals of the women’s 67-kilogram division, recovered in style to win a bronze medal after going through a repechage phase.
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“I’ll probably cry about it later, but I’m so grateful,” Teachout said. “This is the culmination of everything that’s important to me and all that I’ve put into my craft.”
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The 18-year-old Teachout grabbed a U.S. flag and celebrated her medal by running around the octagonal-shaped combat area, warmly embracing her coach.
Teachout had defeated Anastasija Zolotic — the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in the sport in Tokyo — at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Teachout started her day with a bang in the women’s 67-kilogram event by taking out world champion Magda Wiet-Henin of France. But the 18-year-old from Palm Bay, Florida, then lost a tight encounter with Viviana Marton of Hungary.
She then beat Ruth Gbagbi of Ivory Coast in repechage and fought Song Jie of China for bronze. Song was conservative but Teachout seized all of her few opportunities in the first round and continued to apply a relentless pressure to win in two rounds.
“I’ve always had the harder route in sports,” said Teachout, who was slowed by a hamstring injury in her first year. “And even getting (this bronze). It wasn’t the best, it was the hardest route to get a medal. Having to go through the motions of losing and, you know, get it back together and fight. So yeah, it’s been an emotional journey.”
