PARIS – Skylar Park turned a second chance into an Olympic bronze medal.

The 25-year-old from Winnipeg beat Lebanon’s Laetita Auon 2-0 in the 57kg event to capture Canada’s third-ever taekwondo medal Thursday at Grand Palais stadium.

Park beat Turkey’s Hatice Kubra Ilgan in two rounds (6-4, 3-2) in a repechage to reach one of two third-place matches. Earlier in the day, she lost to South Korea’s Kim Yujin in a spirited quarterfinal encounter.

But Park’s tournament was saved when Kim reached the gold-medal final, allowing the reigning Pan Am Games champ to advance through the repechage.

The second-time Olympian beat Czechia’s Dominika Hronova in her opening round – the start of a very long and memorable day at the Summer Games. Park was eliminated in the quarterfinals three years ago at Tokyo.

Canada’s previous medals in the sport belong to Karine Sergerie (silver) in Beijing 2008 and fellow Winnipegger Dominique Bosshart (bronze) in Sydney 2000, both in the women’s 67-and-over category.

Skylar Park from Winnipeg beat Lebanon’s Laetita Auon 2-0 in the 57kg event{ai:summary}<p>Skylar Park snagged a bronze in taekwondo at the Paris Olympics, turning a bitter loss into a sweet victory. After a rocky start and a slice of luck that came from her opponent reaching the final, the 25-year-old from Winnipeg made her country proud with Canada’s third medal in the sport.  </p><p>This was her redemption after falling short in Tokyo. Park’s resilience echoes past Canadian medalists, setting her own mark in a history of grit and determination.  #sports</p>

Skylar Park's second chance leads to Olympic bronze in taekwondo

Loading...