BEIJING—His father and his siblings came all the way from the US West Coast. They arrived on the eve of the fight here to boost his morale.

As the only one in the Go family still based in Manila, mainly to live out his passion for taekwondo, Tshomlee has always been his sibling’s role model, their yardstick for perseverance.

So when Tshomlee crashed out on his very first fight at the Beijing Olympics here Wednesday, the rest of the family, his teammate, their coaches and the head of his nation’s taekwondo association rallied around the devastated fighter.

No he didn’t lose the fight, he got the shorter end of the judges’ scoring, they all assured the Bicol-born battler from Binondo, Manila.

“My heart bleeds for Tshomlee, he fought his fight,” said Robert Aventajado, president of the Philippine Taekwondo Association and chair of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

“He prepared so long for the Olympics that it’s hard to see him lose because the judges didn’t give him a single point.”

Aventajado said he understands why his fighter fought Australia’s Ryan Carneli sans his usual ferocity.

“Nag-iinit pa lang si Tshomlee nung maka-score yung Australian na di naman dapat (Tshomlee was just warming up when the Australian surprisingly scored),” said Aventajado, himself a taekwondo black belter.

Coach Rocky Samson said Go didn’t deserve to lose because he knew the style of his foe, the same fighter he beat to secure his slot in the Olympics.

“He was in control, but the judges surprised him by giving the Australian a psychological edge with the (fight’s) first point,” said Samson. “The judges didn’t see his scoring kicks.”

Indeed, Go let loose a favored weapon with 30 seconds left in the match that would have turned the tide of battle late.

With Carneli up, 2-0, he surged forward and unloaded a bristling axe kick on Carneli’s face. The kick failed to impress two of the four judges, though.

An axe kick scored by at least three judges would have meant an instant 2 points.

Go was so disheartened by the verdict that he cried in the fighters’ room, according to RP delegation medical officer Dr. Alex Pineda, and refused to be interviewed by Filipino reporters.

He later gave them the slip by leaving via the side exit of the University of Science and Technology-Beijing Gym.

Aventajado said that by avoiding the top favorites on his side of the draw, Go would have been a clear candidate for a medal.

“Ang ganda na sana ng ruta ni (The path was rosy for) Tshomlee,” the taekwondo chief said. “But it wasn’t meant to be. We have to accept the verdict.”