2011 Summer Universiade: SHENZHEN, China
Olympian Gonda closes out games with bronze in Taekwondo
SHENZHEN, China (CIS) – Ivett Gonda added to Canada’s medal count on the last day of competition at the 26th Summer Universiade, while also making Canadian taekwondo history at the Conference and Exhibition Center.
Gonda, a 25-year-old from Port Moody, B.C., claimed bronze in the -53kg category on Tuesday afternoon to become the first Canadian to win a FISU games medal in the sport.
Canada finishes the Shenzhen Universiade with eight podium finishes, including five silver and three bronze.
After a hard-fought 1-0 win over Lamyaa Bekkali of Morocco in the round of 16 in the morning, Gonda had to face a tough opponent in the quarter-finals in Almira Yesmyrzayeva of Kazakhstan, who reached semifinals of 2006 world youth championships at 52kg.
The Canadian prevailed 5-4 to advance to secure a medal and advance to the semis, but unfortunately she did not get a chance to compete for a spot in the final as she had to withdraw due to an injury.
“I did not know about making history,” said Gonda. “I had no goals coming here as this is an outside tournament before the Olympic qualifications but I am retiring soon and wanted to experience a Universiade.”
The Capilano University and Douglas College student arrived in Shenzhen with an impressive international resume. She is a two-time Olympian (2004, 2008), three-time Pan Am Games medallist including gold in 2004, and six-time senior national champion.
She almost did not take to the mat on Tuesday morning however as she has been battling a fierce virus that had her bed-ridden for days prior to her matches.
“This morning I was talking to my coach (Shin Wook Lim) and was ready to pull out as I was really sick with flu and cold. He convinced me to come and at least give it a try and I’m thankful for his decision. I stuck through it.”
In the quarter-final bout, Gonda started strong with a high kick to register three points after only 40 seconds and was leading 3-0 after the opening two-minute round. In the second, she countered with a right kick to the mid-section for another point and a 4-0 advantage after four minutes.
The third and final round had furious action as the Yesmyrzayeva landed a counter kick for a point, then tied it up with an offensive kick to the head with less than a minute left. Gonda regrouped and ended the scoring with a right kick to the mid-section with 30 seconds remaining to secure the win and the medal.
