PARIS — Palm Bay's Kristina Teachout captured a bronze medal for the United States on Friday in the 67-kilogram division of taekwondo at the Olympics.

What You Need To Know

  • Kristina Teachout won a bronze medal in the 67-kilogram division of taekwondo at the Olympics

  • The Paris Games marked the 18-year-old's first Olympics

  • Teachout won in the round of 16 but lost in the quarterfinals and had to go through repechage

“I’ll probably cry about it later, but I’m so grateful,” Teachout said. “This is the culmination of everything that’s important to me and all that I’ve put into my craft.”

Teachout started her day with a bang in the women’s 67-kilogram event by taking out world champion Magda Wiet-Henin of France 2-0 in the round of 16. But the 18-year-old then lost a tight quarterfinals encounter, 2-1, with eventual gold medalist Viviana Marton of Hungary.

She then beat Ruth Gbagbi of Ivory Coast, 2-1, in repechage and fought Song Jie of China in the bronze-medal round to prevail 2-0 for the medal. Song was conservative, but Teachout seized all of her few opportunities in the first round and continued to apply a relentless pressure to win in two rounds.

Taekwondo tournaments award two bronze medals, with the losing semifinalists taking on a couple of contestants who lost to finalists in the elimination phase. Sarah Chaari won the second bronze medal.

“I’ve always had the harder route in sports,” said Teachout, who was slowed by a hamstring injury in her first year. “And even getting (this bronze), it wasn’t the best. It was the hardest route to get a medal. Having to go through the motions of losing and, you know, get it back together and fight. So yeah, it’s been an emotional journey.”

After her victory in the bronze-medal round, Teachout grabbed a U.S. flag and celebrated by running around the octagonal-shaped combat area, warmly embracing her coach.

Teachout had defeated Anastasija Zolotic — the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in the sport in Tokyo — at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Overall, she is coming off a strong year. In 2023, she won gold at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge (Muju Taekwondowon), the 15th Costa Rica Taekwondo Open Championship and the Dominican Open. She took home silver from the Spanish Open and the Pan Am Series and also got bronze medals at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile; the WT President's Cup — Pan America and the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge at Dakar, Senegal.