Tareg Hamedi is the beautiful and sad story of the day and even of these Olympics. Beautiful because the young Saudi, 23, qualified beautifully for the final and led brilliantly (4-1). Sad because he knocked out Sajad Ganjzadeh and was declared the loser. The Olympic champion therefore the Iranian. Ryutaro Araga saves Japan’s honor in Kumite with his bronze medal.

In +61 kg, the Egyptian Feryal Abdelaziz, 23, also created a sensation by becoming Olympic champion. Olympic No.1, World No.1 and World Champion Iryna Zaretska gets the silver medal. The highlights of this surprising day.

By Ludovic Mauchien and Florian Fournier

Photos: Kphotos

 

+61 KG : ABDELAZIZ ALL IN CONTROL

On the way to the doublet world champion - Olympic champion, Iryna Zaretska narrowly failed. Opposed in the final to the Egyptian Feryal Abdelaziz, the latter won 2-0. After a tight first bout, the Egyptian took the upper hand by opening the scoring with a face-to-face gyaku tsuki before scoring a 2nd point on a lightning kizami tsuki start.

Outsider before these Games, Abdelaziz inscribes her name in the karate pantheon and deprives Zaretska of writing an extraordinary page of history. In control and dominating the entire tournament, Zaretska couldn’t find an opening in the final. Berultseva and Gong win bronze. Deserved.

Final

Feryal Abdelaziz (Egy) b. Iryna Zaretska (Aze), 2-0

½ finals

Iryna Zaretska b. Li Gong (Chn), 7-2

Feryal Abdelaziz b. Sofya Berultseva (Kaz), 5-4

The Olympic podium

1. Feryal Abdelaziz (Egy)

2. Iryna Zaretska (Aze)

3. Li Gong (Chn) / Sofya Berultseva (Kaz)

+75 KG : HAMEDI DISQUALIFIED, GANJZADEH KO AND CHAMPION

Final

Sajad Ganjzadeh (Irn) b. Tareg Hamedi (KSA), disqualification

½ finals

Tareg Hamedi b. Ryutaro Araga (Jpn), 2-0

Sajad Ganjzadeh b. Ugur Aktas (Tur), 2-2 (Senshu)

The Olympic podium

1. Sajad Ganjzadeh (Irn)

2. Tareg Hamedi (KSA)

3. Ryutaro Araga (Jpn) / Ugur Aktas (Tur)

The finish is unexpected. Not for Sajad Ganjzadeh, three-time world finalist, but for the young Saudi Tareg Hamedi, 23, Olympic No. 32, winner of the TQO in mid-June. He has done wonders so far. He does it again in the final thanks to an Ura Mawashi right in the head of Ganjzadeh. He leads 4-1. There are 2 minutes left. And… He throws a mawashi in the head. Ganjzadeh takes it. He is knocked out and evacuated on a stretcher. He is also an Olympic champion.

The ½ final between Sajad Ganjzadeh and Ugur Aktas ? Hot ! Intense, indecisive... They know each other by heart, have often trained together and it showed. So much so that in the end nobody won this tough fight. 2-2 in the end. But it is the Iranian who qualified thanks to the Senshu.

Japan’s honor is saved by Ryutaro Araga who hoped for a color other than bronze. But there is nothing to say. Very sstrong in the morning, he got tricked into the rulebook by Hamedi in the other ½ final.

PRELIMINARY ROUND

From the start of the preliminary fights, the 4 semi-finalists stood out from the crowd. In Pool A, Araga did not go into detail, winning cleanly in all his fights, especially against the Turkish Aktas, who accompanies him in the ½ final. The latter displayed all his power, dominating Yuldashev 11-3 in 1 min 10.

The day was unfortunately marked by the retirement due to injury of the German Jonathan Horne (elbow or shoulder), who fell badly after a lockpick by Georgian Arkania. The scene was terrifying. He was screaming in pain in this empty room. He was evacuated on a stretcher to applause. Point of the regulation: all the fights concerning it are canceled.

In pool B, to note above all the ease of Sajad Ganjzadeh, undefeated in 4 fights, the vista of Tareg Hamedi, who knew not to lose the fights he needed (0-0 against Ganjzadeh) and, above all, win those necessary by inflicting in particular an 11-3 to the Canadian Gaysinsky (with 2 magnificent mawashi) the match for the qualifier. The Saudi, who takes advantage of the failure of Kvesic (3 defeats), is thus the surprise guest of the ½ finals...

 

Pool A

 

Ranking

1. Araga, 6 pts

2. Aktas, 4 pts

3. Arkania, 2 pts

4. Yuldashev, 0 pt

5. Horne (forfeit)

 

The fights

Araga b. Arkania, 3-2

Yuldashev vs Horne, 4-4

Aktas b. Arkania, 3-1

Araga b. Yuldashev, 4-2

Arkania b. Horne, 4-0 (Kiken, retirement due to injury)

Araga b. Aktas, 5-3

Aktas b. Yuldashev, 11-3

Horne Araga

Arkania b. Yuldashev, 3-1

Horne Aktas

Pool B

 

Ranking

1. Ganjzadeh, 7 pts

2. Hamedi, 5 pts

3. Kvesic, 4 pts

4. Gaysinsky, 3 pts

5. Irr, 1 pt

 

The fights

Kvesic b. Hamedi, 3-2

Gaysinsky vs Irr, 0-0

Ganjzadeh b. Kvesic, 3-1

Hamedi b. Irr, 4-1

Gaysinsky b. Kvesic, 4-1

Ganjzadeh vs Hamedi, 0-0

Ganjzadeh b. Irr, 6-0

Hamedi b. Gaysinsky, 10-3

Kvesic b. Irr, 3-1

Ganjzadeh b. Gaysinsky, 2-1