Kurt Barbosa came up short in his bid for a breakthrough Asian Games gold, settling for silver in the men’s under-58kg class of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 taekwondo competitions on Friday at the Toyohashi Gymnasium.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympian was determined to build on his recent success on the international circuit and make a run at a historic gold medal, but Kazakhstan’s Tamirlan Tleules stood in his way.
After a cautious start from both jins, the action picked up as the two exchanged attacks. Tleules, a 20-year-old Kazakh, held a slim 14-12 advantage to take the opening round.
The second round followed a similar pattern, with Barbosa maintaining a solid defensive stance. Tleules eventually found an opening, however, connecting on back-to-back head kicks to build a 6-0 cushion.
That breakthrough opened the floodgates for Kazakhstan. Tleules added nine more points while Barbosa managed just two, allowing the Kazakh to take the round and secure the victory.
The Philippines ended the second day of the taekwondo competitions with two more silver medals from Barbosa and Tachiana Mangin, along with its first-ever Asian Games gold in the sport courtesy of Jeus Yape.
