With the Paris Olympics entering its last five days of competition, that means the start of taekwondo.
Taekwondo at the Olympic games will take place from Aug. 7 through Aug. 10, with a total of 128 athletes set to compete in Paris.
Here are the top storylines heading into the action, including the biggest stars and the matchups to watch.
Potential history in Paris
There are multiple athletes who can make history-altering history in Paris, including Jade Jones of Great Britain, who can become the first person to win three gold medals in Taekwondo. Jones won gold in 2012 and 2016 and is looking to take her first top podium spot in eight years. She’ll be challenged by China’s Luo Zhongshi as a top contender in the women’s featherweight field.
More history could be made as 11 athletes could be the first to win their country’s first gold medal in taekwondo. With a diverse field of over 50 countries, taekwondo is one of the most global sports at the Olympics.
Format changes
The removal of “golden points” has changed the format of Olympic taekwondo. The “golden point” round was used as a sudden death overtime period to decide a match that is tied. The first athlete to score a point was declared the winner, but this rule no longer exists in the competition.
With the elimination of “golden points” matches will now be a best-of-three-rounds format. Critics of the old format argued athletes would wait until the last moment to win the match. The change will be an adjustment for experienced competitors as the alteration will surely impact strategies.
A U.S. star emerges
First-time Olympian CJ Nickolas is expected to make a big splash in Paris. In 2023, the California native won silver at the 2023 World Championships, three bronze medals in Grand Prix tournaments and a championship in the Pan American Games.
Nickolas qualified for the Olympics by earning a top-five world ranking in the men’s welterweight class.
The 23-year-old is known for his signature double-reverse back kick and his double-reverse spin-hook kick.
Nickolas – the undisputed star of the U.S. roster – leads a group of four Americans who have qualified for the Paris Games. He will be joined by Jonathan Healy, Faith Dillon and Kristina Teachout.