Taekwondo Athlete Byun Jae-young Wins Second Consecutive Freestyle Poomsae Title at World Championships

South Korean freestyle poomsae rising prospect Byun Jae-young (Sungho High School) has achieved back-to-back victories at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

On the opening day of the 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships held today at the Air Dome in Songam Sports Town, Chuncheon, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Byun scored 9.600 points in the men's under-17 freestyle poomsae final to claim the top spot.

Miguel Angel Moreno Gomez of Mexico took the silver medal with 9.280 points, while Punnaton Sirisom of Thailand won the bronze medal with 9.160 points.

Having won the 2024 Hong Kong competition, Byun has thus achieved his second consecutive world championship title.

Shin Yubin, Yoo Seung-min, and Seo Chae-won, competing in the women's under-30 team event, also combined forces to win a gold medal.

In recognized poomsae, Seol Ga-hee (Busan Girls' Middle School) won the women's cadet division, and Park Ji-hye (Dongyang Middle School) won the women's junior division, respectively.

Kim Hak-gyu (Taeailche Taekwondo Academy) earned a silver medal in the men's under-65 division, while Kim Hak-dong (National Team Master Taekwondo Academy) in the men's under-50 division and Kim Eun-joo (National Team Hyoja Hyonyeo Taekwondo Academy) in the women's under-50 division claimed bronze medals.

On the first day of the competition, South Korea reaped 4 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 2 bronze medals.

Ever since the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships were first held in Seoul in 2006, South Korea has claimed the overall team title at every single tournament.

Having achieved 14 consecutive overall victories up to the 2024 Hong Kong competition, South Korea is challenging for its 14th consecutive overall title at this Chuncheon tournament.

(Photo provided by World Taekwondo, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.