At taekwondo qualifiers

Radojkovic’s Olympic dream is shattered

Aleksandar Radojkovic (blue)

(Bild: zVg)

Aleksandar Radojkovic's dream of taking part in the Summer Olympics was not fulfilled at his second attempt. He narrowly and bitterly failed in the first round of the European zone qualifying tournament in Sofia (Bulgaria).

It was clear beforehand: "I have to win three fights to have a chance of making it to Paris." Unfortunately, Radojkovic from TV Oberndorf did not get that far. At the start of the middleweight qualifying tournament, the 27-year-old faced Farzad Mansouri from Afghanistan, a Briton by choice competing for the refugee team. After three rounds, the score was tied and his opponent was ahead in the lower rankings. As there are no more opportunities outside the world rankings, where Radojkovic, who trains in Belgrade, has no prospects, the train to Paris has left the station for Salzburg's figurehead.

Bitter: With the score at 1:1, the draw was ultimately decided by the number of strokes against Radojkovic.

(Bild: zVg)

"Need a vacation first"
"The fight was extremely close. He did really well, which is why I'm so disappointed," said TVO chairman and coach Sudhir Batra afterwards. The only thing Aleksandar knows for sure: "I need a few days off first." What happens next for him is currently unclear. The European Championships in May and the Austrian Championships at the end of May would be fixed points in his calendar. He would also need results there to be able to stay in military sports beyond the summer. "At the end, a top place would be within reach," says Batra optimistically for the time being.