Jack Woolley already eyeing LA 2028 as his Paris prospects hang by a thread
TOUGH FIGHT: Jack Woolley is knocked down by Gashim Magomedov of Team Azerbaijan during the men's -58kg round of 16 at the Grand Palais. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Jack Woolley’s hopes of claiming a taekwondo medal in the Olympic Games hang by the most gossamer of threads in the 58kg class after an opening round of 16 loss to Gashim Magomedov of Azerbaijan.
The Irishman lost 2-0 in rounds, the need for a third made defunct by an unassailable lead. It’s a different scoring system to Tokyo three years ago when Woolley also his opener, but we’re not sure yet if this is the immediate end of the road.
The taekwondo format is one of the more convoluted at Paris 2024. The simple version is that if Magomedov makes it through to the gold medal match then Woolley gets handed a new repechage ticket that offers the hope of a bronze medal down the line.
Hours of waiting lie ahead before that’s known. As it is, Woolley is more out than in with the Azerbaijani tenth seed up against number two ranked Adrian Vicente Yunta and the backing from the big Spanish support will be considerable.
If this does mimic Tokyo with a one-and-done effort then Woolley is processing the prospect of it differently. The tears flowed in Japan as his pre-Games goal of a gold medal fell flat. There were tears brewing here too, but he kept them contained.
“I don’t think anybody comes to the Olympics to not get a medal. I’m obviously very devastated but if you’d told me six months ago that I’d be here in the first place I’d laugh at you.
“To go out against an opponent who I know is really tough because we’ve fought each other… That’s the third time now. It was 1-1 going into that and unfortunately today it didn’t go according to plan.
“The fact that he is a good opponent is good for me because if he makes it to the final I can get back in and go for a bronze medal but that’s out of my hands now. I don’t want to dwell on that too much. I’ll be ready to go back into the ring when I have to.”
Magomedov took the first round 7-4, six of his points coming from head kicks with the second awarded after a long look at the video by the officials. It left Woolley needing to win the next two rounds to go through.
An early lead in round two for Woolley turned quickly. He was left chasing towards the close of that two-minute spell and wasn’t helped by an interminable video review called for by his opponent after an attempted head kick that showed no clear evidence of contact.
“Yeah, it was dodgy. His appeal for a headshot around the back: I didn't feel anything. I don't really see what the camera picked up. They looked at that a lot compared to a lot of the other fights where it was just like, 'Okay, yeah, that hit, or that didn't hit'.
“They were like, ‘did it or did it not?’ I think it was like a big toenail. Like, realistically, I didn't feel anything. But that's the game. Like, it happens to me all the time.”
The plan after the bout was to go back out and thank the many people who had turned up to support him, many of whom had never seen him fight in the flesh before. Beyond that he is at the whims of the unfolding competition and Magomedov’s progress.
It’s not what he wanted but The Tallaght man spoke openly, and a bit naively, about going for gold before Tokyo. He was more measured in his pre-Games offerings this time, recognising the claims of his others while insisting he was a stronger and better fighter himself.
It was earlier this year that he gave notice as to how this Games would be more about himself and less about the pressure he had felt for promoting his sport. Defeat is never welcome, but he knows how to curb its sharpest edges now.
“I went into this to enjoy it, because, like I said six months ago, I wasn't in the best head space. I wasn't in the best physical condition. I had to make weight over 20 times last year. 58 kilos for me is pretty tough. It's about six-kilo cuts.
“So it's very draining on the body. So at the end of last year, I kind of had enough of it, and I used that time with an amazing team in Sport Ireland to get my head back in the game, to be the best I've ever been, the best shape I've ever been. And like I said, this sport is just unpredictable.
“You can be in the best shape and just something doesn't go your way, like a video replay, or your last-minute nerves or something like that. Like not saying that that happened to me, but you never know what happens on the day in this sport. And that's kind of why I love it.”
He’s still passionate about growing taekwondo and proud of his status as Ireland’s first ever Olympian in the sport. And not just that but a two-time Olympian now. Whatever happens here in the next few hours, he has a long road still to travel.
“I hope that I'm able to inspire the young kids at home that they can get to this level and who knows, there's another four years in me.”
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