ATHENS, Aug. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- China's Chen Zhong, reigning Olympic champion, eased into semifinal in taekwondo women's 67kg-plus class Sunday at the Athens Games after beating Adriana Carmona of Venezuela 7-5.

    Chen, who earned an Olympic gold in the same category at Sydney2000, kept a steady pace throughout the three rounds and prevailed,scoring two points in round one, two points in round two and four in three.

    But she had one point deducted after receiving two kyong-gos (warning penalties).

    Chen, defeating Yoriko Okamoto of Japan 7-5 to advance into thequarterfinal earlier Sunday, is to meet Natalia of Brazil in the semifinal.

    The 31-year-old Carmona, who had finished fifth in the heavyweight over 70kg at World Championships in 2003, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, won by superiority 8-8 over Sarah Stevenson of Britain.

    The program of the final day of Olympic taekwondo competitions features the women's over 67kg division and men's over 80kg, with top athletes from all over the world providing a spectacular finale.

    As a martial art sport, taekwondo became an official sport at the Sydney Olympics after participation in the 1988 and 1992 Gamesas a demonstration sport.

    In recent years, taekwondo has become a modern amateur sport and has maintained the tradition and spirit of martial science.

    Today, taekwondo is one of the most popular international sports, being practised in 157 countries and regions with more than 50 million participants throughout the world. Enditem