Taekwondo at the 2004 Athina Summer Games:

China's Chen Zhong was the defending champion, although she was a natural middleweight. After her 2000 gold medal, she won the silver medal at the 2001 World Championships in the middleweight division. But in 2003, she moved up to the heavyweights, earning a bronze medal at the Worlds. Her biggest competition was expected to come from France's Myriam Baverel, who had competed in this class in Sydney, finishing =8th. Baverel had been the runner-up as a middleweight at the 2003 World Championship. Both had tough early draws. Chen faced Adriana Carmona of Venezuela in the quarters. Carmona was 2003 Pan-Am champion and had finished =5th in this division in Sydney, but Chen defeated her, 7-5. Baverel had to face Canada's defending bronze medalist, Dominique Bosshart, in the first round, but prevailed 7-5. Baverel won in the quarters and semis only by superiority each time. The final was not close, as Chen crushed Baverel 12-5. Carmona won the bronze medal.