KURT Barbosa is out of the Tokyo Olympic taekwondo competion after top-seed Jang Jun of Korea suffered an upset loss to Mohammed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia, 25-19, in the semifinals of the men’s -58 kilogram class on Saturday.
Jendoubi stunned the No. 1 ranked jin in their weight category and reigning world champion, while also ending Barbosa's hopes of regaining entry to the tournament after a loss to Jang, 26-6, in the round-of-16.
A finals spot for Jang would have given Barbosa a chance through the repechage, a stepladder between fighters who lost against the two finalists.
Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi
Barbosa thus ends his Olympic campaign which he secured when he pulled off a come-from-behind victory in his final bout in the Asia/Oceania qualifiers in May.
The 22-year-old kept a positive attitude following Jang’s defeat that eliminated him from medal contention.
“God’s plan,” wrote Barbosa in a tweet.
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