Matea Jelić

Matea Jelić, born on December 23, 1997, in Knin, Croatia, established herself as a significant figure in taekwondo from a young age. Her early career highlights include winning a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Taipei in 2014, competing in the 63 kg category. This achievement marked her as a rising talent in the sport. Over the subsequent years, Jelić consistently competed at high-level events, honing her skills and gaining valuable international experience. She demonstrated her sustained performance by securing bronze at the 2016 European Taekwondo Championships in Montreux, competing in the 67 kg division. Her commitment to the sport laid the groundwork for future success on the international stage.

Jelić’s career progressed with notable victories that solidified her standing in taekwondo. She secured gold medals at the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona in 2018 and again in Oran in 2022, both in the 67 kg category. Further successes included gold medals at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Moscow (2018) and Rome (2019), and a gold at the Grand Slam in Wuxi in 2019. These performances underscored her consistent ability to achieve top results against global competitors. A pivotal moment in her career occurred at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won the gold medal in the women’s 67 kg taekwondo event, becoming the first Croatian taekwondo athlete to achieve an Olympic title. This achievement was a major milestone, elevating her status significantly within the sport.

Following her Olympic success, Jelić continued to compete, earning a bronze medal at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Baku in the women’s 73 kg middleweight category, and another bronze at the 2024 European Taekwondo Championships in Belgrade. Her consistent medal wins at major international championships, including European, World, and Olympic events, reflect her enduring excellence and dedication to taekwondo. She represents Croatia and trains with the Marjan TK club under coach Toni Tomas, maintaining her position as a prominent athlete in the sport.