Saudi Arabian Tareg Hamedi knocked Iranian Sajad Ganjzedeh out during the gold medal match for karate kumite which disqualified Hamedi and left the unconscious Iranian the winner by default.
Hamedi delivered a final kick to Ganjzedeh’s neck during Saturday’s final match for the plus 75-kilogram category, which left him unconscious — and judges determined that Hamedi’s kick had violated regulations, which resulted in his disqualification. (RELATED: ‘I Freaking Love Living There’: American Wrestler Praises The USA After Winning Gold)
Officials disqualify Tareg Hamedi of Saudi Arabia for his unchecked attack that rendered Sajad Ganjzadeh of Iran unconscious in the men’s +75kg kumite gold-medal match. #Tokyo2020 #Olympics https://t.co/4L1nuEsF6c
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) August 8, 2021
Barely a minute after the fight began, Hamedi was already leading with a score of 4-1 before delivering a final hit to Ganjzedeh. The hit had Ganjzedeh stumbling until he fell unconscious, which at that time the medics rushed to his aid and carried him off the mat on a stretcher.
The judges contemplated for few minutes until they made the final decision to disqualify Hamedi for hansoku, which was a serious violation of the rules. In the Olympic version of karate, it is against the rules for fighters to deliver fully on their strikes as it is too dangerous.
The dude who got knocked out won the match and the gold, because knocking someone out is illegal in karate… pic.twitter.com/1DLfYUQazI
— Richard Mann (@RichardAMann) August 7, 2021
Ganzjedeh seemed to have recovered from his injury as he walked up to the podium to receive his medal. “I regret that the final match had to happen like this,” Ganjzadeh said.
Hamedi dealt with his disqualification maturely expressing that he was upset with the judges’ decision but was content that he gave it his best.
Both exhibited very sportsman-like behavior towards each other after the announcement was made, hugging each other and posing for photos together.