Sebastián Crismanich


Sebastián Eduardo Crismanich is an Argentine taekwondo athlete. He won the gold medal in the men's 80 kg division at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Sebastián has the distinction of being the second individual athlete to win a gold medal for Argentina, the inaugural taekwondo medal for Argentina. The gold medal honor was established at the 1948 Summer Olympics, when Delfo Cabrera entered the stadium concluding the marathon.
In his quest for the gold medal, Crismanich beat New Zealander Vaughn Scott 9-5, and then Afghan Nesar Ahmad Bahawi 9-1 in the quarterfinals.
After a fierce battle in the semifinals, Crismanich defeated Armenian Arman Yeremyan 2-1 and proceeded to the Olympic final.
In a narrow victory against Spaniard Nicolas Garcia Hemme, Crismanich was only able to take the advantage needed to win in the final round, seconds from the end.
He was honored as the national flag bearer at the London 2012 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony Parade of Flags.

Biography

Sebastián Crismanich was born in Corrientes, Corrientes Province, into a Croatian immigrant family. His brother, Mauro, is also a well-known taekwondo practitioner who won the bronze medal in men's flyweight at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships in Copenhagen.