The first day of Taekwondo in Rio features the women’s 49kg and men’s 58kg tournaments. Coverage begins at 8:00 a.m. with the round of 16, then picks up with the quarterfinals at 2:00 p.m. Medal matches begin at 7:00 p.m.
The fighter to look out for in the women’s 49kg is the two-time reigning champion, China’s Wu Jingyu. The 29-year-old flyweight will kick off her campaign against Huang Huai-hsuan.
No U.S. athletes qualified in the division.
In the men’s 58kg tournament, Iranian Farzan Ashourzadeh is a definite favorite. Just 19 years old, he has already won three gold medals in the 2014 Asian Games and Asian Championships, and at the 2015 World Championships.
Kim Tae-Hun of South Korea is another fighter expected to medal. Normally a finweight, he won gold in the same 2014 Asian Games and Asian Championships as Ashourzadeh, and in the 2015 World Championship as well. He is moving up a weight class in order to compete in the Olympics.
Catch all the action on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports App.