The Olympic debut for Bailey Lewis in the men's -58kg Taekwondo has come to an end after defeat in the quarter-finals at the hands of Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi (TUN).
Competing at the Grand Palais Bailey had the tough task of trying to beat Jendoubi, reigning Olympic silver medallist and world number one.
Speaking after the 2-0 loss, Bailey said the event went "not how I expected" but he had a chance for repechage if Jendoubi won his semi-final. Jendoubi lost the semi against Taejoon Park (KOR).
Bailey progressed to the men’s -58kg quarter-finals with a strong win in the round of 16.
Coming out strong from the beginning of the fight, Bailey was able to land several key hits on his opponent Nouridine Issaka Garba (NIG) to control the bout and walk away with a 2-0 win.
The Victorian felt good during the bout and was confident he could continue on with the momentum.
“I feel good in the ring, I feel calm and comfortable, so I'm ready to see what I can do for the rest of the day,” he said.
“I'm hoping for gold like everyone else.
“If I do everything right and have a good day and a bit of luck, I can do it.”
Bailey scored early in the first round with two points for a hit on Issaka Garba, before following it up with a head kick to race out to a 5-0 lead.
A late flurry in the first round by Nigerien wasn’t enough to close the gap, with Bailey winning the opening round 5-2.
It was a much closer affair in the second round, with Issaka Garba coming out firing against Bailey.
The Australian was able to successfully counter the attacks, landing four points before his opponent grabbed three back with a head kick midway through the round.
A quick response by Bailey took the lead back out to 6-3, with the 26-year-old holding on for a 6-4 win and to take the match 2-0.
Bailey said the atmosphere in the spectacular Grand Palais motivated his success.
“It's incredible,” he said. “The arena is beautiful.
“It has lots of natural light, I’ve got all my family friends around, so it's amazing.”
This article was originally written for The Australian Olympic Team. You can read the published version here
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