Ganjzadeh wins karate Olympic gold as opponent disqualified

Unconscious Sajad Ganjzadeh awarded +75kg men’s gold for Iran as Saudi Arabia’s Tareg Hamedi disqualified for high kick.

The final bout of karate’s historic debut at the Olympics ended in an uproar when Saudi Arabian Tareg Hamedi’s high kick to Iran’s Sajad Ganjzadeh’s neck saw him disqualified and his motionless opponent awarded gold in the men’s over-75kg final. Hardly a minute in, Hamedi looked dominant, having scored a three-point “ippon” in the ninth second and he was leading 4-1 before the bout on Saturday came to an abrupt end. Hamedi’s final kick sent Ganjzadeh to the tatami mat and the Saudi into celebration mode before the mood in the Nippon Budokan arena turned. Medics rushed to Ganjzadeh’s side, placing an oxygen mask on the Iranian and removing him on a stretcher.