INQUIRER Sports

BEIJING—Marie Antoinette Rivero and Tshomlee Go will know who they will get to fight first at the Beijing Olympics here Monday when the draw for the taekwondo competition is held in the morning at the University of Science and Technology-Beijing.

The taekwondo jins, who will close out the campaign of the 15-athlete national contingent here this week, rested the whole afternoon Sunday after Go hurt his ankle following a bad fall at their training venue in the Athletes Village.

Coach Rocky Samson, however, said the slight pain in Go’s ankle will be gone before he fights on Wednesday in the -58 kilogram class.

Rivero, a veteran of the 2004 Athens Olympics like Go, takes on her first foe on Thursday in the -67 kg division.

Samson said the pair’s Korean coach, Kim Hong-sik, recommended that Rivero and Go be insulated from distractions during their campaign.

Both Filipinos will fight all their matches in one day. Under the Olympic format, each weight category will have a single elimination tournament with a repechage for the bronze-medal contest.

The two winners in the repechage finals bring home a bronze medal each.

“Pag-praktis namin kaninang umaga sa (When we practiced this morning at the) USTB gym, may (there was) slight pain,” said Samson. “But it’s very minor and he (Go) is not affected.”

The 5-foot-9 Go was three pounds over the featherweight limit when they arrived at the venue but shed the excess weight in just an hour of practice.

Apart from German Levent Tumcat and Spaniard Juan Antonio Ramos, Go is one of the few fighters in his class who are expected to challenge defending Olympic champion Chu Mu-yen of Taiwan for supremacy.

Samson said Rivero, a welterweight, is ready to fight even if the matches were held Monday.

“Wala siyang problema at OK ang workout nya (She’s doing well and her workout is okay),” he said. “She’s ready to fight.”