Para taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin outclasses foe, advances to Round of 16 in Paralympics

Filipino para taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin bucked a slow start before unleashing a clutch performance, outclassing Hadi Hassanzada of the Refugee Paralympic Team, 22-13, in Round of 32 of men's K44 -80kg on Saturday at the Grand Palais. 

The 26-year-old Ganapin got closer to a podium finish as he advanced to the Round of 16. 

Ganapin, who was forced to withdraw from his supposed Paralympics debut three years ago in Tokyo due to COVID-19, made sure to kick off his official Summer Games debut this time around, but he had to first overcome a sluggish start with the RPT bet cruising to an 8-7 lead at the break. 

The Filipino representative then landed solid kicks, including a back kick that awarded him three points for a 12-10 cushion. He followed it with back-to-back attacks for an 18-10 cushion, pretty much sealing the game at that point. 

Hassanzada, though, tried to stage a fightback with a front kick that sent Ganapin to the floor at the 1:03 mark of the five-minute bout. However, Ganapin closed it out with two more powerful kicks to finish off the match. 

Ganapin will take on fifth-seeded Abulfaz Abuzarli of Azerbaijan in the Round of 16, hoping to make it to the top eight. 

—JKC, GMA Integrated News