Split second costs Lutalo his dream
HEARTBROKEN Lutalo Muhammad broke down in tears after dramatically losing out on a gold medal in the very last second of his taekwondo final.
The 25-year-old was overcome with emotion after losing to Ivorian Cheick Sallah Cisse with just half a second of his bout left on the clock.
Muhammad, who won a bronze at London 2012, was forced to settle for a silver in Rio after his opponent connected with a kick to the head.
Muhammad said: ‘I was half a second away from being Olympic champion and accomplishing my dream. I’m so sorry.
‘I don’t want to cry, but I’m so distraught. I’m so sorry for the people that stayed up late to watch me. I let them down. This is so hard.’
Muhammad made history as the first British man in an Olympic taekwondo final. BBC presenter Mark Chapman tweeted: ‘This is one of the most heartbreaking sporting interviews I’ve ever seen. Poor Lutalo.’