Rivero’s fall leaves RP empty-handed

BEIJING – Croatia’s Sandra Saric completely dominated a listless, lackluster Mary Antoinette Rivero, 4-1, in the Bracket of Death and sounded the death knell on Team Philippines on a Black Friday in the XXIX Beijing Olympic Games.

Saric planted a surprise kick to the body in the third round to gain a 2-1 lead, then came through with two more 45-degree defensive kicks to take the fight out of the Filipina in the women’s welterweight (-67kg) class of the taekwondo competitions at the Beijing University of Science and Technology.

The loss dropped Rivero from the gold-silver medal round in the evening and her chances of salvaging a bronze medal through repechage before the final match also ended when her tormentor lost to world champion Hwang Kyung-seon, 3-1, in the quarterfinal round.

The loss was a big disappointment for Rivero following the same first round loss of Tshomlee Go to Australian Ryan Carneli in the flyweight ( -58 kg) two days earlier.

It was also a far cry from her 2004 Athens Olympics debut when, as a 16-year-old, she went all the way to the semifinals where she bowed to Greek bet Elisavet Mystakidou and missed the bronze with a loss to Hwang in the repechage.

Rivero and Go thus joined 12 other Philippine bets who didn’t get past the first round of their events in the quadrennial meet.

Only Hidilyn Diaz was in the finals, in the –58 kg class in women’s weightlifting, only because her event was reduced to a 12-woman final competition.

The loss also closed another dark chapter in the history of Philippine sports as the Philippine team goes home with no medal to show for the third consecutive Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games.

Rivero tried to say something as she was requested for an interview in the mixed zone for players and media but she begged off as she wiped off tears and headed for the athletes’ quarters.

“I’m sorry I lost,” was all she could say to taekwondo president Robert Aventajado in between sobs at the athletes dressing room.

“Well, Toni’s opponent is the European champion and well-experienced. Toni was a little bit hesitant with the pressure. She knows the country is watching her,” Aventajado said.

With the score tied at 1-1 at the end of the second round, Rivero delivered an ax kick, which could have scored two points, in the third round, but the Croatian quickly avoided it. Rivero tried to connect with her 45-degree kicks but Saric countered with three defensive hits for the final count.

“Of course it (loss) is very painful. Who wants to lose? They couldn’t handle the pressure, but we have to accept defeat,” he added.

Saric, who defeated Rivero in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Manchester, England in October last year, said she was nervous in the first two rounds where they played to a 1-1 draw but she found her rhythm in the third round where she unleashed three kicks – all counterkicks – to Rivcro’s kicks that went short to win their grudge match in the same division.

“It was the first match, so it was just a warmup,” said the 24-year-old , 5-9 Saric, two inches taller than Rivero.

“I was very nervous in the first round when it was 0-0. It was almost the same in the second round but that changed in the third round when I found my rhythm. In the last second, I felt it was the best performance of the match,” said Saric, silver medalist in the World Championships in Germany in 2003 and bronze medalist in the 2005 and 2007 editions.

“She was strong but I am strong too. I wasn’t scared because I’ve been practicing taekwondo for 16 years so I know taekwondo,” she said.