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Another upset

Sin Joon-sik takes 5-3 win over favored Iranian

Korea's Sin Joon-Sik (right) defends a kick by Iran's Hadi Saeibonehkohal. Franck Fife/AFP

SYDNEY (CNNSI.com) -- South Korea's Sin Joon-sik upset world champion Hadi Saeibonehkohal of Iran in the semifinals of the men's 68 kg taekwondo competition on Thursday.

Joon-sik scored a 5-3 victory to advance to the final.

The bout was always finely balanced until the third round when Sin twice opened up a two point margin. Both times Saeibonehkohal reduced the deficit to one but with time running out he could not get close enough to the nimble Korean to score.

The final will be a youthful affair after Sin was joined by the 21-year-old American, Steven Lopez.

He defeated the vastly more experienced German, Aziz Acharki 2-0 to book a place in the gold medal fight. Aziz was world champion back in 1995, but Lopez had the beating of him and held on despite a late flurry from the German.

Controversy reigned in the first of the bouts in the women's 57 kg which was billed as the match-up between the two big favourites, 1995 world champion, Hamide Bikcin of Turkey against the 1997 world champion, Jung Jae-eun of South Korea.

Jung just edged the contest 3-2 but angry Turkish fans claimed the refereeing had been biased.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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