Paralympics taekwondo, Bossolo fifth: forced to retire due to injury

Antonino Bossolo’s adventure at the Tokyo Paralympics ends at the foot of the podium. After having touched the comeback in the semifinal, the blue rose to the square for the final for the bronze of -61 kg in the K44 category (category with unilateral amputation below the elbow or equivalent): the meeting with the Turkish Mahmut Bozteke, number 2 in the world ranking, however, ended with the retirement of Antonino due to an injury to his right leg. Started 4-0 behind, he collapsed to the ground for a few minutes: the pain stemmed from a clash with the Turkish player in the first part of the match. Back on the square Bossolo tried to complete the final, but at 14-2 he had to forfeit. Really a shame for the blue who had centered the qualification by law thanks to his position in the world ranking (sixth) and who, right at the debut of taekwondo at the Paralympic Games, started as one of the gold favorites.

THE RACE

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Antonino Bossolo, born in Palermo in 1995 and the only blue representative at the Paralympics, began his career brilliantly by dominating the first round against Uzbek Zukhriddin Tokhirov with a score of 64-30. With access to the quarter-finals he found himself in front of the number 1 of the world ranking, the Mongolian Erdene Ganbat, already holder of four world titles (in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019) Antonino, thanks to his experience in the international field ( 1 silver and 1 bronze world championships, 1 gold and 4 European bronzes) was able to impose his game right from the start, closing with an amazing 40-28. In the semifinal the mockery: the Brazilian Nathan Cesar Sodario Torquato, qualified in Tokyo through the Pan-American tournament, surprised everyone by detaching the blue by 11 points at the end of the second round. In the third Antonino, author of a splendid comeback, even reached three points behind the Brazilian, but the final result was not enough: 37-34. With the injury in the final for the bronze, Bossolo closes in fifth place. Gold medal for the Brazilian Sodario Torquato for the forfeit of the Egyptian Elzayat, silver. Bronzes to the Turkish Bozteke and the Russian Sidorov.