Pauline Louise Lopez delivered an explosive turning jump kick with three seconds remaining to subdue a taller Mahsa Jeddi of Iran, 7-5, in the semifinals of the 2016 Asian Taekwondo Championships.
Trailing by a point and with time winding down, Lopez sneaked in the body blow worth three points that propelled her to the gold-medal match of the women’s -57kg division before a huge Filipino crowd at the Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom Wednesday night.
The 2014 Asian Youth Games champion faces finalist Korean Ah-Reum Lee, who demolished Shao Fenfen of China, 4-0, in the other semifinal confrontation.
Jeddi, bronze medalist in the world championship, seemed headed to victory with three consecutive blows, capped by a side kick in the final 14 seconds.
But instead of plunging into panic, Lopez worked her way in and patiently waited for that one clear shot on Jeddi’s abdomen for the win.
Lopez, a 19-year-old Filipino-American based in Los Angeles, California, earlier smacked Sae-Lao Thanapa of Thailand with a stunning roundhouse on the face in the final round on the way to a come-from-behind 6-3 triumph in the quarterfinals.
Kristopher Robert Uy pocketed a silver medal in the men’s +87kg and Olympic qualifier Kirstie Elaine Alora wound up with the bronze in the women’s -73kg on Monday night.
Apart from these medals, the Philippines also collected three gold medals in the men’s over-30 team poomsae trio and individual poomsae freestyle courtesy of Jeordan Dominguez and Juvenile Faye Crisostomo.
Greenhorn Edtone Lumasac fell to Yerzyhan Abylkas, 8-9, in the quarterfinals of the men’s -74kg division despite leading by two points in the last 20 seconds.
Abylkas caught Lumasac with a well-timed turning kick to the body worth three points in the dying seconds to advance to the semifinals.
Also bowing out of medal contention on the final day were Keith Sembrano (men’s -68kg) and Kaye Shannele Romuar (women’s -62kg).
Alireza Alyari of Iran toppled Sembrano, 22-4, a lopsided setback that prompted Sembrano’s coaches to question the efficiency of the scoring system.
“It was discussed in the coaches meeting. This is one way some players could cheat,” said Philippine coach Roberto “Kitoy” Cruz.
The Filipino coaches noted that Sembrano’s blows failed to register since the Iranian’s body was soaking wet that could had possibly grounded the electronic scoring device.