The 22-year-old had already won 100m gold -- upgraded from silver after the Turkish winner was disqualified
Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal, who wore a shirt depicting children being bombed for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, vowed to bounce back after suffering a unanimous points defeat Sunday.
Swedish fighter Nebil Ibrahim eliminated Abu Sal in the 57-kg preliminary round but the Palestinian athlete said he already had his eye on the next Olympics in 2028.
The 20-year-old was the first Palestinian boxer to participate in the Olympics.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
"I am sorry I will not raise the flag for Palestine on the podium. I wanted to have a medal but God willing, I will not be stopped here. The journey will continue for four years," he told reporters.
"The Olympic Games are already a victory for Palestine," he added.
Abu Sal received a rapturous reception from the crowd at the North Paris Arena outside the capital, who chanted "Waseem, Waseem" during the bout.
Judges however scored the first round to Ibrahim, who landed several left jabs and hooks, plus one right uppercut that shook the Palestinian fighter.
Abu Sal was then caught again by two powerful left hooks from the Swede, who was unanimously adjudged to have won the second round as well.
The Palestinian fell to the canvas after missing a wild hook in the third round and again struggled to land any meaningful punches. He was docked a point for wrestling his opponent to the ground.
He sank to his knees in apparent prayer at the end of the bout, which was given unanimously in favour of Ibrahim.
The two boxers embraced at the end as the crowd cheered Abu Sal out of the stadium.
Abu Sal was one of two flag-bearers for the Palestinian delegation during the rain-soaked river parade along the Seine on Friday.
His white shirt had embroidered images of warplanes dropping missiles over children playing sport.
"This shirt represents the current picture in Palestine," Abu Sal told AFP on Saturday.
"The children who are martyred and die under the rubble, children whose parents are martyred and are left alone without food or water."
At least 39,324 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a military campaign in retaliation for an October 7 attack by Hamas militants, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.
The October attack that began the war resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Abu Sal lives in the West Bank and is unable to train with his Cairo-based coach, a Gazan who cannot travel to him due to Israeli restrictions.
ALSO READ:
The 22-year-old had already won 100m gold -- upgraded from silver after the Turkish winner was disqualified
Cheptegei suffered burns to 80 per cent of her body and had been fighting for her life at a Kenyan hospital
Storey has now won 29 Paralympics medals of all colours since she made her debut at the 1992 Barcelona Games
Since its debut in 2022, LIV Golf has staged 34 tournaments in nine different countries across four continents
The UAE take on Qatar in their first match on Thursday
The Palestinian baseball team features mostly US-based players with the deadly Israel war making it impossible for athletes to even go out for training sessions in the West Asian country
Ryder Cup points are up for grabs with all the Europeans hoping for a fast start on this race
Three coveted sports in the DP World Tour Championship Pro-Am are up for grabs in November