Seabata Mahao
Taekwondo star, Michelle Tau bagged a gold medal at the Darker 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix Challenge in Darker, Senegal.
Tau defeated French fighter, Serrah Gaye by 2-0 in a fight that took place on Tuesday this week in the tournament that began from July 24 to 28 this year.
Her victory did not only earn her a gold medal, but she also obtained a ticket to fight in the Paris 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix to take place from August 31 to September 2 this year.
The win also earned her 10 points, which will improve her position in the World Taekwondo Ranking and World Taekwondo Olympic rankings.
In an interview with Newsday Sports, Tau said she was happy to make a winning comeback after she last competed in June this year.
“I am trying to catch up as other athletes are constantly competing,†Tau stated.
Tau currently ranks number one in the under-46-kilogram female category in Africa, although she has dropped to number five from four globally.
Tau bagged a gold medal at the 7th Egypt Open tournament in Cairo earlier this year.
She also won a silver medal in the 2022 Israel Open Taekwondo Tournament and a silver medal at the Niger Open Taekwondo Tournament in February 2022, to name but a few of her recent results.
Meanwhile, Tau has been included among women who have broken gender barriers in sports, in a Switzerland photo exhibition by the United Nations.
Through its Perception Change Project, the United Nations Office in Geneva in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has organized a spin-off exhibition of the original “Not a Woman’s Job?” exhibition, to showcase inspiring women who have broken down gender barriers in sports.
Athletes from around the world and across sporting disciplines are recognised by the exhibition for their contributions to reducing gender inequalities.
As a growing influence in Taekwondo, Tau is among 65 women whose inspiring images are showcased in the exhibition, which started on July 18 and will run until September 1 this year. The exhibition was officially opened by the Director General of the UN Office in Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, and the IOC president, Thomas Bach
