What started off as a promising campaign for Allain Ganapin after a victory in the men’s K44 -80kg Round of 32 in Paris ended an hour later.
An hour after his sensational debut, Allain Ganapin absorbed a narrow 12-9 loss to Azerbaijan’s Abulfaz Abuzarli in the men’s K44 80-kg round of 16 in the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 para taekwondo on Saturday, August 31 (PHL time).
Ganapin thus bowed out of competition in the French capital.
After keeping his distance in the first minute, Ganapin gained steam after a quick four points he followed up with three-point kick that gave him a 9-4 lead with 1:50 remaining.
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But just when he thought he would end up advancing to the quarterfinals, things took a turn for the worse off a timeout.
It all started when the opposing team asked for a video replay on a dangerous play after Ganapin apparently went for the head of Abuzarli. Kicks above the shoulders are prohibited in para taekwondo.
A point was awarded to the 33-year-old jin from Baku.
What followed was six more points from Abuzarli capped by a double kick combination for the 11-9 lead.
Ganapin had 25 seconds to turn the tables. Instead, he received a penalty for a failed back kick attempt, essentially ending what started off as a promising campaign.
Earlier, the 26-year-old Ganapin opened his campaign with a 22-13 win over Hadi Hassanzada in the Round of 32.