Tajikistan judoka Nurali Emomali caused a stir at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Emomali faced Israel’s Baruch Shmailov in the round of 16 in Pool B. After his win, he refused to shake Shmailov’s hand, Ynet News reported. He was allegedly heard yelling "Allah Akbar" at his Israeli opponent.
Next, Emomali competed against Japan’s Hifumi Abe in the quarterfinals. Emomali injured his left arm while trying to brace his fall. He had to withdraw from the tournament.
Serbia’s Strahinja Bunčić advanced in the repechage portion via walkover.
Abe defeated Brazil’s Willian Lima in the final. Abe secured his second gold medal in the event. Lima won a silver medal, his first Olympic medal. Kazakhstan’s Gusman Kyrgyzbayev and Moldova’s Denis Vieru each took home bronze medals.
Emomali wasn’t the only judoka to refuse Shmailov’s handshake. Morocco’s Abderrahmane Boushita also refused after his loss to Shmailov.
Israel has one of the biggest judo teams at the Paris Olympics. The team had 12 competitors, with four competing on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Algeria’s Messaoud Dris was dropped after missing weight before his match with Tohar Butbul. The International Judo Federation declared Butbul the winner via walkover.