Heavyweight (>67 kilograms), Women

Before the competition, there were several favorites for the women’s heavyweight division. These included France’s Althéa Laurin and Türkiye’s Nafia Kuş Aydın, the reigning in middle- and heavyweight World champions. Other favorites included Uzbekistan’s Svetlana Osipova, the World champion from 2022 and silver medalist from 2023, and Korea’s Lee Da-Bin, the silver medalist from the Tokyo Olympics and the World Championship in 2022. However, it turned out to be a competition of no surprises.

In the final, Laurin beat Osipova 3-0 3-3, snatching victory at the very last second with a spectacular kick to the head that allowed her to level the score with the Uzbek fighter. Laurin, who already finished third in Tokyo, won France’s first taekwondo gold in front of an electric crowd at the Grand Palais. On the way to the final, Laurin beat Nafia Kuş Aydın, who won bronze along with Lee Da-Bin.

Despite her young age, Laurin was appointed Knight of the National Order of Merit at the age of 22, in 2021, and in March 2024 the French Embassy in Korea named one of its halls after her.