Technique Analysis of the Men’s Taekwondo in Paris Olympics 2024

Objectives: To analyze the performance of Men’s Taekwondo athletes in Paris Olympics 2024.

Methods: A total of ten performance parameters are defined: total number of actions, type of kick, area of kick and punctuations. Type of action is defined as attacking or counterattacking. The movement of athlete, who started the sequence, is defined as an attacking action. The movement of the athlete to defend against an opponent’s attack is defined as a counterattacking action. Type of kick is categorized into three variables: linear (i.e. pushing), circular (i.e. roundhouse) and with previous spin (i.e. back). The section of kicking was classified into chest and head, which are the only scoring areas in Taekwondo. The official video footages from Men's -58kg and -68kg matches at the Paris 2024 Olympics were analyzed.

Implications: In total 30 matches were analyzed. The key findings are that the attacks were mainly active attack instead of counter-attacking. When proceeding to the later phases of competition, the trends would be 1) less attack on head, 2) less spin kick, 3) less punch. It implies that the athletes were more conservative in the later phases with more single type of attacks.