"Could Not Show Skills"... An Baul's Shocking Defeat [Paris Olympics]

Half Loss in Men's Judo 66kg Round of 16
Lower-ranked Kyrgyzbayev Knocked Out in One Blow
"Regret Not Being Able to Do Everything Prepared"

'The face of Korean judo,' An Baul (Namyangju City Hall), was held back by a lower-ranked opponent.

An Ba-ul (right) is competing against Kazakhstan's Kusman Kyrgyzbayeva in the round of 16 of the men's 66kg judo event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. [Paris=Yonhap News]

World No. 13 An Baul lost by waza-ari to Gusman Kyrgyzbayev (Kazakhstan) in the round of 16 of the men's 66kg judo event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, held on the 28th (local time) at the Champ de Mars arena in Paris, France. Kyrgyzbayev (world No. 26) is ranked 13 places lower than An Baul, and in their head-to-head record, An Baul led with 2 wins and no losses.

However, Kyrgyzbayev, who had gained momentum by defeating world No. 9 David Garcia Torne (Spain) in the previous round of 32, also overcame An Baul. An Baul started the match aggressively by grabbing both of his opponent's sleeves and pressing down within 24 seconds, but instead conceded a waza-ari. Afterwards, An Baul tried to force his opponent to receive two shidos to win by penalty, but the opponent did not receive a third shido before the regular time (4 minutes) ended.

An Baul won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games. He said, "I thought I could definitely win. If I had performed at 100% of my ability, I would have felt less regret." He added, "I prepared well and approached the match with confidence, but I regret not being able to do everything I prepared." He plans to take a short 'pause.' "For now, I want to rest a bit. After more than 10 years as a national team member, I am tired, and while resting, I need to think about what goals I should set for the future."