Rising South Korean female taekwondo lightweight prospect Kim Hyang-gi (Korea National Sport University) has captured a silver medal at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

Competing on the final day of the 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix series held at the Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois-Perret, near Paris, France, on October 11 (local time), Kim lost 2-1 (won via superiority after 2-2, lost via superiority after 4-4, 0-3) in a comeback defeat to China's Ma Jingyue in the women's 49kg final, taking home the silver.

Both the first and second rounds were fiercely contested, decided by superiority criteria following ties. In the final third round, Kim conceded the first 3 points to her opponent's head attack and struggled to create scoring opportunities, ultimately suffering a comeback loss.

Kim is a promising athlete who claimed her first senior international title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in May of this year.

After winning a bronze medal at the Rome event, which was the first Grand Prix series of the year, she advanced to her first-ever final at her third appearance in this Paris Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, Lee Ye-ji (Jemulpo District Office), who competed in the same weight class, was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The national team wrapped up the three-day competition with one gold, two silvers, and one bronze medal.

Kim was the sole medalist in the women's division.
 
(Photo courtesy of World Taekwondo, Yonhap News)