Bopha Kong ©Getty Images

French Para-taekwondo star Bopha Kong has four world and two European golds, and will push on to the Paris 2024 Games in search of his first Paralympic medal.

Vietnam-born Kong, who moved to France aged three, lost both hands aged 18 when a homemade bomb exploded while he was holding it.

Then a boxer, he switched to taekwondo as he hoped a martial arts philosophy would help him cope.

"When I was a child I watched a lot of films of Jackie Chan, Jean Claude Van Damme and of course Bruce Lee," he said in 2018. “Martial arts develops your self-esteem." 

Kong's self-esteem received another boost in November 2022 when he was offered a sponsorship deal with beauty and cosmetics giant L'Oreal.

The agreement, which will cover Paris 2024, by which time Kong will be 43, is part of L'Oreal's "commitment to diversity", the company has claimed.

"I would like to thank the whole team," said Kong. "Alone we move forward, but together we go further."

Kong has won four world titles, most recently in 2019, but lost a bronze medal contest in the men's 61 kilograms class at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where Para-taekwondo made its debut.

At the peak of his powers in 2018, he did not lose a fight and won six international tournaments.

Kong is also a two-time European champion and was a winner at the IWAS World Games.

At the start of his annus mirabilis of 2018 Kong had already won three world titles in the under-61 kilograms K43 division.

"My goal in 2018 is to win every tournament I compete in," he told World Taekwondo at the time. "And I want to compete in them all."

This is exactly what he did - the highlight being a 29-22 victory over rising Japanese talent Kenta Awatari to claim the Pan American Championships title.

Speaking before the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Kong commented: "The one that wins is the best of the best.

"This achievement is my dream - to be the best in the world."

During the pandemic, Kong was among a group of the world's leading Para-taekwondo athletes who demonstrated how they coped with the restrictive measures put in place due to cornoavirus.

His video was the first of World Taekwondo's online "Kicking It At Home" campaign and included footage of Kong at home.