9/8/2024–|Last update: 9/8/202411:34 PM (Makkah Time)
Taekwondo player Firas Al-Qatousi gave Tunisia its first gold medal at the Paris Olympics, after winning the 80-kilogram weight class on Friday at the Grand Palais.
Al-Qatousi defeated Iranian Mehran Barkhordari 2-0 (4-2, 5-1) in the final, giving his country its first Olympic gold in taekwondo and its fourth in all disciplines after Mohamed Khalil Al-Jandoubi, who won silver and bronze in Tokyo and Paris respectively in the -58 kg weight class, and Osama Al-Waslati, who won bronze in the -80 kg weight class in Rio 2016.
This is the 28-year-old’s best result after coming third in the 2022 World Championships in Guadalajara in the 74kg weight class.
On his way to the gold, Al-Qatousi defeated Australian Leon Seranovic 2-0, Danish Eddie Hernic 2-0 in the quarter-finals, and then American CJ Nicholas, ranked second, with difficulty 2-0 after being the better player over the two rounds that ended in a draw (0-0, and 2-2).
In the final, Al-Qatousi trailed 0-2 in the first round, and four seconds before the end, he snatched four points with a wonderful back kick that gave him the advantage.
In the second, he scored three points with a headbutt, which he maintained until the end, when he was declared champion.
