As his dreams of competing for a taekwondo Olympic medal evaporated in the frantic final seconds of his second contest of the day, Omar Yaser Ismail fell to his knees in disbelief. Even after his opponent, Adrián Vicente, comforted him and the audience recognised his immense efforts with a long, warm ovation, he remained rooted to the spot, unable to come to terms with defeat.
Ismail’s ambitions were far greater than his final result in the taekwondo 58kg weight division on Wednesday, but as one of eight athletes representing Palestine at the Olympic Games, simply making it to Paris was a significant feat.
