- An Olympic gold medal was decided in the final seconds of a
taekwondo match Monday. Matea Jelic , 23, stole victory from the clutches of defeat as she rallied late and won the title.- Her opponent, who relinquished a five-point lead, rued the final minute of the third round.
An Olympic taekwondo final was decided in the final 11 seconds when the champ took the lead with an almighty headshot.
Matea Jelic, a 23-year-old from Croatia, seemingly stole victory from the clutches of defeat as she rallied late to overcome Great British competitor
With a counter-attacking strategy, Jelic edged the opening round 5-4 and drew the second round 10-10.
However, in the third, Williams gained a strong 18-13 lead thanks to her aggression.
With only 45 seconds left remaining on the clock, it appeared Williams may well have done enough to claim the gold medal for herself.
But she was left to rue those last 45 seconds because she said after the match that it was "not enough," according to a statement on the official Olympics website.
"I could have had her," Williams added. "I'm happy with how I performed all day - a silver medal's not bad, is it."
Those final 45 seconds were crucial as Jelic not only closed that five-point deficit to level the score 21-21, she overtook her opponent, landed flush shots, and triumphed with a 25-22 score thanks to kicks to the head and to the body.
"I just turned off my head," said Jelic, regarding the secret to her success. "You just have to turn everything off and do what you need to do - trust your instincts, and everything you did in training.
"I can't explain it - it's bigger than me."