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MEDAL ALERT
Ulugbek Rashitov won Uzbekistan’s first Olympic taekwondo gold medal in dramatic fashion by beating Bradly Sinden of Britain.
The 19-year-old Rashitov landed a four-point turning body kick inside the final 15 seconds to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point lead and the featherweight hung on for a 34-29 victory to claim Uzbekistan’s first-ever medal in taekwondo.
Rashitov is relatively inexperienced on the world stage but his success echoes Uzbekistan’s major strides in combat sports, including the Uzbek boxing team’s breakthrough performance in Rio de Janeiro.
Sinden fell agonizingly short of becoming Britain’s first male Olympic gold medalist in taekwondo, a popular domestic sport with an impressive list of international women’s champions. Two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones failed in her bid for a third straight gold earlier Sunday with a shocking loss to the Refugee Olympic Team’s Kimia Alizadeh.