Olympic Champion Joel González Wins First Medal for Spanish Delegation

Taekwondo athlete Joel González, Olympic champion in London 2012, won the first medal for the Spanish delegation at the University of Gwangju (South Korea) today.

González, who also finished third at the recent European Games in Baku, ended with a 'bittersweet' feeling after losing in the semifinals against Turkish athlete Berkay Akyol due to a referee decision, as the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

The judges awarded a point to the Turkish athlete, who eventually became the champion after defeating South Korean Dae Han Ryu (3-1), and the Spanish taekwondo athlete missed out on the final.

Beforehand, he had defeated Lebanese athlete Leonardo Cheiban, Pakistani athlete Arsalan Asad Khan, and Kazakhstani athlete Kairat Sarymsakov.