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by administrador patutkdGOYANG, Korea (November 16, 2023) - Team Brazil emerged victorious on the third and final day of the Seoul 2023 World Cup Team Championship Series, lifting the mixed gender trophy, which translates into the first title in this format for the Pan American region.
Brazil and Morocco, two surprise finalists in the three-day tournament at the KINTEX 2 Exhibition Center in the western Seoul suburb of Goyang, put on a great show in the octagon in a bout that was decided at the last second thanks to a point scored by Brazil.
The Latin Americans, who had just won the gold medal for men's team in the debut of this modality in the recently concluded Pan American Games Santiago 2023 and bronze in women's teams, had in their ranks experienced athletes such as Sandy Macedo, this year's champion of the President of America Cup in Rio de Janeiro, and Maria Clara Pacheco, medalist in the Baku World Championship this year. They were accompanied by Vinicius Matos and Gabriel Santos, two emerging figures of Brazilian taekwondo, all guided by Clayton Santos, coach.
In the last edition of the World Team Cup neither Brazil nor Morocco had been present, and today, four years later, both gave a great taekwondo show at the highest level: Brazil won the first round of the best-of-three system. Morocco balanced the balance in the second round and in the last round, with ten seconds left, the African team pounced with continuous attacks but the Brazilians kept the rhythm, defended well and in the end, scored the precise points to win a dramatic and hard-fought World Cup: the first in the history of the Pan American region since 2006, when the first World Team Taekwondo Championships were held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Brazilians, who had won the men's team bronze a day earlier, and now crowned champions of the 2023 World Cup, took home gold medals and US$20,000 in prize money. The North Africans, meanwhile, won silver and US$10,000.
Third place, and $5,000, went to Iran. The Iranians defeated the Ivory Coast today in the bronze medal match, 2-0.
Earlier, in the first semifinal, Brazil had come from behind to beat Iran 2-1. In the second semifinal, Morocco defeated Côte d'Ivoire 2-0.
In the quarterfinals, Morocco eliminated Mexico 2-0; Brazil pulled off the upset by defeating Korea at home in a hard-fought 2-1 victory; and Iran eliminated 2019 defending champions China 2-0.
Today's action brought the 2023 World Cup to a close. For three days, Goyang hosted a group of eight nations: Australia, Brazil, China, Ivory Coast, Iran, Korea, Mexico and Morocco.
Mixed teams feature two male and two female wrestlers. To help the audience distinguish the fighters, hidden behind a helmet and a trunk protector, the men wear black pants, the women white.
Although the teams are mixed, due to substitution rules, the actual fighting is purely female vs. female and male vs. male.
This format is gaining more and more space in the Olympic Movement, and was already present in Tokyo 2020 with a demonstration during each day of the competitions on Japanese soil.
Women's Teams Results
1.- Corea del Sur
2.- Marruecos
3.- China
Men's Teams Results
1.- Irán
2.- Australia
3.- Brasil
Mixed Team Results
1.- Brasil
2.- Marruecos
3.- Irán
World Taekwondo/PATU
