Taekwondo-jins, golfers plunge into action
GUANGZHOU—Bowling has a gold medal, boxing opened its hunt for one and on Wednesday, the country’s golf and taekwondo squads try to get into the medal mix when they send their athletes off against the continent’s best at the 16th Asian Games here.
Taekwondo, tagged as another potential gold-medal earner, will have three jins opening their bids at the Guangdong gymnasium in Yuexiu district while in golf, the men’s team tee off in the team and individual competitions at the Dragon Lake Golf Club.
“The target is to win at least one gold,” said coach Rocky Samson. “We know that people are considering us to produce medals for the Philippines. But we’re not looking at it as pressure, we’re thinking of it as a target.”
Jyra Marie Lizardo and Pauline Louise Lopez, two jins who practically have taekwondo in their veins, and Samuel Thomas Harper Morrison—who drew a bye—will all compete in taekwondo’s opening day here.
Lizardo is the sister of celebrated taekwondo poster boy Japoy Lizardo while Lopez is the daughter of Filipino jin Jun.
Lizardo looks to have drawn a tough opening round foe as she goes up against two-time Olympian Elaine Teo, who is coming off a bronze medal in the Laos Southeast Asian Games, in the women’s 49 kg division.
“Medyo masikip ang draw ni Jyra,” said Samson. “But that’s how it is and the kids are prepared anyway. It doesn’t matter anymore who you face because if you really want to get a medal, you’ll have to face the big names anyway.”
The 18-year-old Lizardo is expected to have her hands full against Teo, the Malaysian who wound up seventh in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won the gold in the 2007 Thailand SEA Games. And after that, the road gets even tougher.
If Lizardo survives Teo, she next battles 2010 Asian championships bronze medalist Chanapa Sonkham of Thailand. And if she carves out a victory in her second fight?
On her path to the medal lies Beijing Olympics gold medalist Wu Jingyu of China, also the reigning Asian Games titlist in the 49 kg class.
Lopez, on the other hand, faces South Asian silver medalist Laila Hussaini of Afghanistan in the women’s 46 kg division. Her first serious test will be against Jordan’s Dana Touran, the 2010 Youth Olympics silver medalist in Singapore.
“Our mind-set is, there are no favorites anymore once the tournament starts,” said Lizardo.
Morrison, nicknamed Butch, will await the winner of the Nepal-Timor Leste match before plunging to action.
In golf, Jerson Balasabas, Mhark Fernando, Marcel Puyat and Miguel Tabuena open their bids at the picturesque golf club nestled in the middle of Beixing Town in Huadu District here.
