Jinns can strike gold in Sydney

Local taekwondo officials believe they have found the formula that could produce the country's first-ever Olympic gold medal: good material, intensive training, a seasoned Korean trainer and a favorable draw.

Banking on the talents of a quartet led by Donald David Geisler and Roberto Cruz, Philippine Taekwondo Association president Robert Aventajado yesterday expressed confidence Filipino jinns, with sufficient support and training, could strike gold in the Sydney Games in September.

"We have two good materials for gold and, of course, we also have the two ladies. It's safe to say taekwondo, like boxing, has the potential to win," Aventajado told the PSA Sports Forum at the Holiday Inn.

That competition in both taekwondo and boxing is done by weight categories has somewhat levelled the playing field, according to the PTA chief, enabling Filipinos to overcome whatever disadvantages they may have against their opponents in terms of height or size.

"I would prefer that taekwondo win the country's first Olympic gold but, as a Filipino, it really doesn't matter to me which sport does it first. The important thing is we win a gold medal in the Games," Aventajado said.

Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines president Manny Lopez, guesting in the same weekly program sponsored by McDonald's, Agfa Color and Red Bull, said his group is working to qualify "a minimum of five and a maximum of seven" fighters in Sydney.

Three Filipino pugs are so far assured of Olympic berths, and Lopez is confident they can clinch a few more spots in next month's King's Cup in Bangkok, the final Olympic qualifying tournament for Asians.

Together with fellow jinns Eva Marie Ditan and Jasmine Strachan, Geisler and Cruz are currently deep in training in Seoul under a Korean coach who is a former world champion, Aventajado said.

"They are in high spirits and doing well," reported PTA vice-president and chief instructor Hong Sung Chon, who just arrived from Korea. "They've been practising everyday with different opponents, lifting weights and jogging in the morning."

Only Strachan has been drawn to fight a vaunted Korean opponent in the Olympics, according to Aventajado, somehow making the road to Olympic glory smoother for the RP bets.

However, the PTA chief said Filipino jinns are no longer intimidated by Koreans, thanks to their frequent exposure to world-class fighters under an aggressive program laid down by the association.

"Babad sila sa Korea at sinanay namin silang Koreano ang kalaban," Aventajado explained.

As part of their buildup for the Olympics, Geisler and company will see action in the World Cup in Lyons, France (April 11-18), Asian Championships in Hong Kong (May 12-18) and the Korean Open (June 30-July 5).

Hong said the men need to win three fights to get to the finals in the Olympics while the women have to hurdle two.

Only 100 jinns -- 52 men and 48 women -- are competing in eight weight classes in Sydney, with each country limited to a maximum of four entries.

Geisler looms as the country's brightest hope because he has beaten his chief rival, a welterweight from Iran, in a recent outing. Cruz, on the other hand, is among the world's top finweights.