An instinctive fighter with a unique "jump reverse turning kick", Gbagbi was praised before Tokyo 2020 by Philippe Bouedo, a hugely experienced taekwondo fighter, coach and official who was World Taekwondo's technical delegate at the Games. 

"Ruth is very powerful and very creative," he told World Taekwondo. "She has a full palette of techniques."

Gbagbi's own estimation of her abilities was more basic. "I am a fighter," she said. "The more difficult it is, the more I like it."

Her Olympic bronze in Rio came on the same evening that her team-mate Cheick Sallah Cissé earned gold in the men's 80 kilograms thanks to a last second kick to the head in his final against Britain's Lutalo Muhummad.

Gbagbi's place on the women's Olympic 67 kilograms rostrum was assured by her defeat of Azerbaijan's Farida Azizova.

The feisty fighter then contributed her own global gold to Africa as she won the world title the following year in Muju in South Korea, defeating Iran's Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin 19-9 in the final.

"She is the perfect aspect of taekwondo - we want to show people how exciting the game is," Bouedo added to World Taekwondo.

"In championships, some players minimise risk, but not Gbagbi. She has no limits."

Gbagbi has been practicing taekwondo since she was eight.

"When I was young, I liked to fight in the streets," she recalled. "So my mum told me to try taekwondo and now I'm a world champion. She's very proud of me."

Gbagbi's second Olympic medal in Tokyo was earned through a 12-8 win over Brazi's Milena Titoneli, after she had been beaten 24-18 in the semi-final by Britain's eventual silver medallist Lauren Williams.

There were further honours for her in 2021 as she was named as an ambassador for the culture of peace by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Ivorian was honoured alongside 10 compatriots at an event in Abidjan.

UNESCO ambassadors are tasked with using their talent and fame to promote the organisation and its goals.

Gbagbi described her appointment as an "honour" on her Instagram account.

More recently she has been back to the peak of her form, as she demonstrated on September 3, 2022 by winning women's under-67kg gold at the Paris World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

Victory in the final against up-and-coming South Korean Min-Seo Nam came after another of her spinning kicks had seized the initiative. It secured the fourth Grand Prix gold of her career.

"It was a dream come true to win another Grand Prix gold medal," she said.

"The level of all the athletes keeps going up and the young athletes are very fierce.

"I think the taekwondo fight has changed a lot in the last ten years.

"But I like this because in life all things change.

"So I need to adapt if I want to keep fighting."

Gbagbi is already a national heroine, but there is one medal that has eluded her - Olympic gold. Not satisfied with her two bronze medals from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, she has Paris 2024 in her sights.

"I hope," she said. "I will give my all to go to Paris 2024 and win gold."