Domingo provides breakthrough for jins

HO CHI MINH–It was close to midnight Wednesday with every Filipino here having accepted the dim prospect of a gold medal shutout in the day when the beauteous but tough warrior Veronica Domingo struck for the most precious mint in her class at the start of taekwondo competitions.

"I felt some pressure but I just kept my focus on my goal," said Domingo who delivered the first gold medal for the RP taekwondo team after five Filipino jins before her fell by the wayside one after the other.

Domingo, a Mass Communication graduate from FEU who now works as PR assistant with Pagcor, successfully defended her lightweight crown in this meet in a victory she hoped would fire up her teammates again following sorry setbacks by Roberto Cruz, Jeferthom Go, Manuel Rivero, Kalindi Tamayo and Daleen Cordero.

A number of Filipino watchers had given up hopes for a gold in the day as Domingo struggled in the semifina against a Vietnamese.

"Basta I made sure to score clear points para hindi na magisip ang referee kung pupuntosan niya o hindi," said Domingo on her conquest of Pham Thi Phuong Queyn, 5-3, in the final.

It was her second win in the same number of head-on duels with the Vietnamese lass whom she also defeated in the fifth SEATU championship.

"Ang sarap ng feeling. Para akong nabunutan ng tinik," she said after the victory.

"Sobrang bait ni Lord. Gumawa siya ng paraan para makarating ako sa final. At ipinangako ko na gagawin ko ang lahat para makuha ko ang ginto. Dumating ang opportunity and I grabbed it," she also said.

Domingo had to rally from two points down in the last 10 seconds of the match to steal a stirring 3-2 decision in her semifinal showdown with Indonesia’s Emerald Margareth Dien.

Fondly called by her teammates San Cai being a lookalike of the Meteor Garden star, Domingo, thus, added another gold medal in her treasure-chest following championships in the fifth SEATU and in the second Brunei Open championship.

She’s now hoping to get a stint in the Olympic qualifier in Thailand this coming February to have a shot at a golden quest in the 2004 Athens Games.