A recurrence of a groin injury shattered Paul Green’s hopes of an Olympic medal, as he went out of the taekwondo tournament at the quarter-final stage.
The 27-year-old, who won world silver in 2003, sustained a groin injury two months ago, which flared up again in his opening-round victory over India’s Satriyo Rahadhani.
It was a devastating blow for Green, who had been one of Team GB’s genuine hopes for a medal, perhaps even gold. In the end the gold went to Taiwan’s Chu Mu Yen who beat Mexico’ Oscar Francisco Salazar Blanco 5-1.
The bronze went to Egypt’s Tamer Bayoumi who beat Spain’s Juan Ramos 7-1.
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Although Green fought on after his injury, it was too much of a handicap and his hopes of glory disappeared as he was beaten by Vietnam’s Huan Quoc Nguyen.
The 4-2 loss did not immediately send him out of the competition and he was forced to wait and see if Nguyen won his next fight, which would have given the Briton a place in the repechage and still a chance of bronze.
However the Vietnamese fighter was soundly beaten by Mexico’s Oscar Francisco Salazar Blanco, and Green could only watch as his Olympic dream disappeared with that defeat.
“I am very disappointed,” said Green.
“Two months ago I injured my groin and it was touch and go as to whether I would even make it here in the first place.
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“I got fit and then training went really well, so I set my target as a medal and I was desperate to do it.
“But in the first round, the injury came back again and I struggled a lot at the beginning of the fight before I won it.”
Green underwent lengthy treatment following the fight but the pain-killing injections hampered his movement in the second fight and he made little impact in the contest.
“The local anaesthetic the team doctor gave me numbed the pain but it also numbed the muscle and it meant that I couldn’t move the leg properly during the fight.
“It left me so disappointed because my whole aim was to come here and win an Olympic medal and that didn’t happen.”