Tunisian taekwondo player Firas Kattousi made history for Tunisian taekwondo at the Olympic Games by winning the gold medal in the 80-kilogram weight category at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday evening, achieving a first-ever milestone for this sport. Just two days before the end of the 33rd edition of the Olympic Games, hopes for Tunisia to secure a gold medal were dwindling, especially since the Tunisian delegation entered the Games with a very small number of athletes, not exceeding 26, most of whom had already exited the competitions.
Kattousi triumphed over his Iranian opponent Mehran Barkhordari with a score of 2-0 in the final, gifting Tunisia its first gold in the Paris Olympics and the third medal in these Games, following the silver medal won by fencer Faris Al-Farjani and the bronze medal by taekwondo player Khalil Jendoubi.
The 28-year-old Kattousi secured the first gold medal for taekwondo and the sixth in the history of Tunisia's participation in the Olympics, with former swimmer Oussama Mellouli being the last Tunisian to stand on the podium twelve years ago, winning the 10-kilometer open water swimming gold medal at the London 2012 Games.
In addition to his historic achievement for Tunisia, Kattousi, who is participating in the Olympics for the first time, became the second Arab taekwondo player to win gold after Jordan's Ahmad Abu Ghosh during the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.
Inside the "Roland Garros" arena in Paris, Kattousi delivered an impressive performance in all his matches on his way to winning the gold, culminating in a victory in the final that sparked historical joy in Tunisian sports circles and among the fans who passionately supported him in the Olympic arena.
