Team GB win medals at last
OLYMPICS
LONDON – Bradly Sinden produced a stunning lastround fightback to beat China’s Shuai Zhao 3325 and guarantee at least a silver medal for Team GB.
The Doncaster 22yearold trailed Zhao, a Rio Olympic champion at the lighter 58kg category, by seven points midway through the final round but stormed back to claim victory.
Sinden, the reigning world champion, is set to face Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan later on Sunday, at 1.45 pm BST, with Olympic gold at stake.
He could have been the first Team GB medal list at the Games, but
J udoka Chelsie Giles, 24, pipped him to the mark, winning bronze in the women’s 52kg event by beating Switzerland’s Fabienne Kocher at around 10.45am British time.
Sinden became Britain’s first male world champion back in 2019 and was tipped by Sportsmail earlier this week to claim a silver medal in the Japanese capital.
He has looked in imperious form so far during the Games and is looking strong, hungry and capable of winning Britain’s first gold of the Games.
Sinden raced into the last four with a dominant 20point victory against Turkish athlete Hakan Recber.
Zhao, won won gold f our years ago in Brazil in the lighter 58 kg category, proved sterner opposition and led late on.
However, Sin den’ s stunning 15- point turnaround then saw him win by eight and rocket into the final.
The athlete nicknamed ‘ Mr Consistent’ started off as a boy following in his sister ’s footsteps, also playing football, badminton, handball and basketball at school.
He then moved onto the junior circuit, taking top spot at the 2015 Junior European Championships.
He then transitioned into senior bouts, winning bronze at the 2017 Worlds in Muju, South Korea.
That same year he achieved a silver medal at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in London, taking second spot behind reigning Olympic Champion Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan.