Damián Quintero fulfilled his dream of winning an Olympic medal in the first and only opportunity he has had in his sporting career. Karate is in the process of becoming a permanent sport at the Olympic Games and, as it is not included in the programme for Paris 2024, this was the only opportunity for all active competitors, especially for the most veteran ones. Damián Quintero knew that a podium place was his for the taking and he did not disappoint. His participation was outstanding, which has helped him win the silver medal. 

Up to the final, Damián Quintero overcame his rivals without too many problems, demonstrating the technical perfection which has allowed him to win a variety of European and World Championships medals. Although the Spaniard arrived in Tokyo as number one in the world ranking, the favourite athlete was the Japanese Ryo Kiyuna, his rival in the final. The local karateka opted for a more visual and eye-catching kata, Ohan Dai, and achieved his goal of impressing the judges, who awarded him an unreachable score of 28,72. Damian chose the Suparinpei kata. His technical and sporting execution was also excellent, but it was not enough to overcome his Japanese counterpart and he had to settle for a score of 27.66 and the silver medal, which completes a legendary record for the best Spanish karateka of all time.