Canada’s Skylar Park wins Olympic bronze medal in women’s -57kg taekwondo | CBC Sports

Canada’s Skylar Park defeated Lebanon’s Laetitia Aoun 2-0 to win the bronze-medal match in women’s -57kg taekwondo at the Olympic Games in Paris.

The victory followed a motivational pep talk from her coach and father, Jae Park.

“Just that he was proud of me. And I think before the match, he said, `win as a team, lose as a team’. So that’s what we’re doing moving forward,” Park said.

The 25-year-old from Winnipeg previously beat Turkey’s Hatice Kubra Ilgan 2-0 in a repechage round to advance. Park outscored Ilgan 6-4 in the first round and 3-2 in the second.

“This has been a dream of mine since, I don’t know, for as long as I can remember,” said Park. “I know my dad grew up watching the Olympic Games. My grandpa told me to come home with a medal when I left him at home in Winnipeg. And so, we’re bringing back a medal for him.”

The Canadian lost her quarterfinal match to Kim Yujin of South Korea, but Kim reaching the final gave Park another chance at a medal via the repechage.

Park beat Dominika Hronova of Czechia 2-0 in her opening match at the Grand Palais.

“I was just talking to my dad and our team here, and I was saying that it doesn’t feel real yet,” said Park about the immediate moments after winning bronze.

“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in. But when that final buzzer went on the match, just pure joy and gratitude.”