Kassman goes down in taekwondo bout at Olympics

Papua New Guinea taekwondo representative Kevin Kassman couldn’t ease pass a round of 16 matches after suffering a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Great Britain’s Bradly Sinden yesterday.

The Doncaster taekwondo star booked a quarterfinal spot in his quest for gold when he downed Kassman in the 68kg category, winning his rounds 12-0 and 15-3, finishing the contest in a matter of seconds.

Kassman couldn’t embrace the tough challenge of the pinnacle stage in Paris as he didn’t last for a minute against the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games silver medalist.

Team PNG described the momentous occasion as a hard-hitting Olympic debut for Kassman but was also an amazing experience for the young man to stand up against one of the best in the world.

“Despite going down to Great Britain [2-0], we are proud of how far Kevin has come to compete at the highest stage of his athlete career,” Team PNG shared on its social media platform.

“You were bold and courageous Kevin, and we are proud of you.”

Kassman became the sixth Team PNG athlete to compete last night at the Paris Olympics with fellow taekwondo colleague Gibson Mara to conclude Papua New Guinea’s participation.

Mara will compete in the 80kg category of the qualification contest against Kasra Mehdipournejad of the Refugee Olympic Team tomorrow.

The match scheduled for 5pm [1am PNG time] at the Grand Palais will see the winner advancing to round of 16.