Welterweight (≤80 kilograms), Men

The reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo, Russia’s Maksim Khramtsov, initially qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) but, as a supporter of President Putin and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee did not declare him neutral, and he was not invited to the Games. As a result, the favorites in Paris were the podium finishers of the last World Championship: Italy’s Simone Alessio (gold), the US American “CJ” Nickolas (silver), and Egypt’s Seif Eissa (bronze).

In testament to the sport’s unpredictability, these top contenders failed to advance to the finals. In the final bout, Tunisia’s Firas Katoussi defeated Iran’s Mehran Barkhordari in two rounds, scoring 4-2 and 5-1. Katoussi’s win was Tunisia’s first Olympic taekwondo gold. Simone Alessio and Denmark’s Edi Hrnic won the bronze medals.