China's Wu Jingyu has defended her Olympic title by winning the taekwondo gold medal in the women's 49-kilogram division.

The top-ranked Wu first won gold at the Beijing Games. Wu defeated Spain's Brigitte Yague 8-1 in a fast-paced final in which Wu was almost always attacking, using her flexibility to nail Yague with repeated kicks, including to her head.

Wu was in top form Wednesday, winning two matches so decisively they were ended early after she racked up leads considered too big to close.

The 25-year-old Wu is a two-time world champion and most recently won the title last year.

Bronze medals were won by Thailand's Chanatip Sonkham and Lucija Zaninovic of Croatia.