Gold quest keeps family together

BEIJING – Today’s taekwondo action at the USTB Gym will determine whether the Philippines will finally join the medal roster at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Filipino jin Tshomlee Go sees action in the country’s last bid for an Olympic medal while Toni Rivero makes her bid Friday.

The two athletes will receive valuable moral support from their families, who flew in yesterday on a Philippine Airlines flight that also brought in the RP taekwondo chief Robert Aventajado.

Tomas Go, now US-based, returned to Manila with eldest son Jefertom just in time to join wife Lilia, who lives in Manila with Tshomlee, to take the early morning flight to Beijing.

Tomas feels his son is ready to face the tough competition ahead of him. Tshomlee’s first opponent is Australian Ryan Carneli.

A taekwondo instructor, Tomas took all three of his sons through the rigors of the sport. Jefertom used to be with the Philippine national team before moving to the US. Youngest son Charlton is with the US Navy’s taekwondo team.

Interviewed at the Beijing Capital Airport, Jefertom says his brother has been training and practicing really hard for this his second Olympic stint. He says Tshomlee has matured in the sport, and is now more confident and stronger.

“Ready po siya (he’s ready) for the whole-day competition today.”

Tomas smiles shyly when asked to comment on the statement his son made that taekwondo is “in the blood” and it all comes from him (Tomas).

Tomas is among the original crop of taekwondo jins that popularized the sport in the country. He said he did not really think about his son one day competing in the Olympics and, hopefully, winning a meal for the country.

“I just taught him, trained him… the rest is up to him,” he said in Filipino.