Injured Rivero pulls out of SEAG taekwondo

MANILA, Philippines - Two-time Olympian Toni Rivero will not be suiting up for the Philippine taekwondo team to the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia after suffering a knee injury during training.

“Rivero was pulled out due to injury,” deputy chef de mission Julian Camacho confirmed yesterday.

Teener Pauline Lopez will take the place of Rivero, who’s now competing at middleweight.

Rivero is making a comeback after an ACL injury (left knee) forced her out of the Asian Games last year in Guangzhou, China and the World Olympic Qualification tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan last July.

The veteran campaigner, however, will likely be sent to the Asian Qualification Tournament – an Olympic qualifying event – next month in Bangkok, Thailand.

“We think they are preparing Rivero for the Olympic qualifying,” said Camacho in Filipino.

The Asian qualifier was originally set Nov. 4-5 but due to the flooding in the Thai capital, the World Taekwondo Federation, Asian Taekwondo Union and Taekwondo Association of Thailand announced its indefinite postponement.