Support truly
independent journalism
Caden Cunningham confirmed his place in the men’s +80kg Olympic taekwondo final after a thrilling win over world champion Cheick Sallah Cisse at the Grand Palais in Paris.
The 21-year-old from Huddersfield edged the verdict via unscored registrations – the number of punches landed that are too light to score – after finishing tied with the Ivory Coast veteran.
Cunningham’s win was sweet revenge for the British squad against an opponent who famously beat Lutalo Muhmamad to gold in the final second of their Olympic final in Rio in 2016.
Muhammad watched from the stands as Cunningham seized control of the contest with a dominant opening round, only for Cisse to level after a cagey second in which both fighters were penalised for non-combat.
A three-point head kick with half a minute on the clock put Cunningham in control of the final round and although Cisse fought back to level, there was to be no final second heartbreak for the Briton.
Rebecca McGowan was beaten by Uzbekistan’s Svetlana Osipova in the quarter-finals of the women’s +67kg, but will get another shot at the repechage for bronze after Osipova subsequently reached the final.
