Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Tshomlee steps on the mat today
MANILA - Filipino jin Tshomlee Go, armed with a deadly mission to save the Team Philippines’ campaign, faces Australian Ryan Carneli at 11:45 a.m. today at the start of the taekwondo competition of the 29th Olymic Games at the Beijing University of Science and Technology.
The 27-year-old Go climbs the one-meter high mat fiery with hope and determination in the round-of-16 bout, which the RP coaching staff predicted to be an easy sailing towards the next round.
“He’s ready to face the Australian. He has worked a lot to make it here. We hope and pray he’ll gonna make it,” said coach Raul Samson.
Better aim
Go, who worked as a physical education instructor at the University of Sto. Tomas, is also aiming to do better now than when he first competed in 2004 Games in Athens, where he lost to Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain right in the bout.
‘’Condition is good. I see he looks prepared for the fight. Compared to the preparation he and Toni (Rivero) did in Athens, I think there is a big difference this time. There’s 30 percent difference,’’ said Samson of Go’s quest to end a long 84-year gold medal drought.
If he wins over the Australian opponent, Go then will take on next, either Thailand’s Chutchawal Khawlaor or Jean Ogoudjobi of Benin in the quarterfinals scheduled at 4 p.m. also today.
Samson said that it will take three victories to reach the finals, where he will be assured of at least a silver medal finish. The losing semifinalist will be dropped to the repechage competitions to fight for the bronze medal.
This will be Go and Carneli’s second meeting in their respective career. They first crossed paths during the Manchester Qualifier last year in Manchester, England, with the Filipino winning a hard-fought quarterfinal round match, 5-4.
After the victory, Go absorbed a lopsided 0-7 decision to the two-time world champion and defending Olympic titlist Chu Mu-yen of Chinese-Taipei.
‘’It’s going to be a good fight. The earlier fight was close. But I think Tsomlee can handle the Australian very well this time,’’ stressed Samson.
Support
On hand to cheer for the Filipino campaigner are First Gentleman Mike Arroyo as well as some relatives and friends, Toni Rivero’s parents and Philippine Olympic Committee chairman Robert Aventajado.
Hope is also high for Rivero, who will see action at 10 a.m. tomorrow against Croatian veteran Sandra Saric in one of eight matches of the women’s 57-kilogram division.
Carneli, a native of Mel-bourne and an audio engineering graduate at the Canberra Institute of Technology, who is younger at 23 but an inch shorter than Go, claimed his biggest win came in the 2006 World Cup in Bangkok where he bagged the silver medal as a bantamweight.
Go was a gold medalist in the Palarong Pambansa in 1998 in Bacolod City. (Frank Calapre)
