Lisa Gjessing
Danish parataekwondo practitioner (born 1978)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lisa Kjær Gjessing (born 4 July 1978)[1] is a Danish parataekwondo practitioner. Gjessing is a Paralympic gold medalist, four-time world champion and three-time European champion.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Lisa Kjær Gjessing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Danish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 July 1978 Denmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para Taekwondo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Lower left arm amputee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| F44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Gjessing represented the Danish team in able-bodied taekwondo at the 2001 and 2003 World Taekwondo Championships.[2] After having her left armed amputated in 2009, she then competed in para taekwondo, winning the world title in 2013, a feat she would repeat in 2014, 2015 and 2017.[2] At the 2019 World Championships, Gjessing broke her arm during the quarterfinals but nonetheless won the bronze medal.[2]
In 2021, Gjessing was ranked world number 1.[2] She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the –58 kg category, having qualified via World Ranking.[3] She was also one of the flag bearers for Denmark during the opening ceremony of the Paralympics.[4] Para taekwondo made its debut there, and Gjessing won the gold medal, beating Great Britain's Beth Munro 32-14 in the final.[5][6] She competed at the 2022 European Taekwondo Championships, winning a bronze medal in the K44 wommen's -65 kg event.[7][8]
On 1 February 2024, Gjessing announced that she would retire from para taekwondo after the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.[8][9] Competing in the 65 kg event, she had lost to Djelika Diallo in the quarterfinal. Heading to the repechage round, she defeated Munro and then defeated Marie Antoinette Dassi to win the bronze to end her career.[10][11]
Personal life
Gjessing had her lower left arm amputated in 2012 due to chondrosarcoma.[2][12] She is married and has two daughters.[13]
