China's Olympic champion Luo Wei and the country's best chance?of a gold medal at the Taekwondo Championships in Beijing was upset by Lee In Jong from South Korea 3-1 in the women's under 72-kilo weight class semi-final on Sunday.

Lee's popularity in China was obvious as the crowd gave her a rousing welcome but the Olympic and World champion could not muster any fight against Lee.

Put on the defensive early on, Luo received two warnings for inaction and a well-aimed kick from Lee allowed her to lead 1 to -1 in the first bout. The second bout was all Lee as she went on the attack, and stormed into a 4-1 lead. She added a point early on the third to make it 5-1 and held off a counter-attacking Luo. Her defense cost Lee two points through penalties but she held on to win 3-1.

"The World Championships attracted the best players worldwide. Each athlete gave their best here and no one knew what would happen," said Luo after the duel. "I suffered a serious injury before the tournament. The injury affected my performance a lot. I tried my best and I am satisfied with the result."

"I am still recovering and am far from my best, my injury caused my defeat. My leg was in pain and I did not have full mobility, and missed a few opportunities," Luo lamented. “My strength is fine but my injured leg is a major hindrance."
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"We met in the semi-final of the Doha Asian Games, when I beat her by one point. I am certain she studied me carefully after that. She is a very experienced fighter and deserves the victory," added Luo. "My next plan is to quickly recover from my injury."

(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2007)