Saudi karateka wins Kingdom’s second-ever silver after knocking out opponent

Saudi Arabian karateka Tarek Hamedi will bring home a silver Olympic medal after being disqualified from the men’s over-75kg final when he threw a high kick and knocked out his opponent.

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Hamedi was leading on points when he threw the kick that struck Iranian athlete Sajad Ganjzadeh in the neck, leaving him motionless and having to be removed from the arena on a stretcher.

Ganjzadeh was awarded gold after officials deliberated and decided that Hamedi’s move constituted a violation of the rules.

Tarek Hamedi of Saudi Arabia, right, reacts as medical personnel attend to Sajad Ganjzadeh of Iran after he was injured in their men's kumite +75kg gold medal bout for karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP)

Sport karate is based on a scoring system where punches and kicks landed on an opponent with proper form earn points.

Moves that are deemed to be dangerous can earn a warning or disqualification from officials.

It was not immediately clear how exactly Hamedi’s kick constituted a breach of the rules.

Hamedi’s efforts garnered Saudi Arabia’s second-ever silver medal in the Olympic games, despite narrowly missing out on winning the Kingdom’s first gold.

With agencies

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