An indomitable Simone Alessio overcame the disappointment of missing out on gold to secure his first-ever Olympic podium at the Paris 2024 Games.

Competing at the Grand Palais, the Italian taekwondo athlete won the bronze medal in the -80 kg category.

His journey began in the round of 16 with a 2-0 victory (6-0, 3-1) over Kazakhstan’s Batyrkhan Toleugali. In the quarter-finals, he faced a dramatic encounter but was narrowly defeated by Iran’s Mehran Barkhordari, who triumphed 2-1 (1-6, 2-1, 10-9). With Barkhordari advancing to the final, Alessio entered the repechage round, where he defeated Uzbekistan’s Jasurbek Jaysunov 2-0 (5-4, 5-2). In the first bronze medal match, Alessio emerged victorious in a tight contest, winning 2-0 (3-3, 2-1) against the American CJ Nickolas, the second seed.

This marks the fifth Olympic medal in the history of Italian taekwondo, and the second bronze in the -80 kg category, following Mauro Sarmiento’s success at London 2012.