AS EVERY Thomasian hopeful from a lean Philippine delegation bowed out of contention in the 15th Doha Asian Games, a strong-willed Tshomlee Go kicked his way against the current.
Go prevented a medal shutout for the highly-touted UST contingent as he raged through the finals of the taekwondo hostilities to bag the silver in the men’s 62 kg division last Dec. 9 at the Qatar Sports Complex.
Armed with an offensive-minded game plan, Go engaged South Korea ’s Kim Ju-yong in a dogfight right from the opening salvo. But the equally methodical Korean bet, drew first blood after connecting on a short 45 kick for a 1-0 lead.
Go, however, felt that he notched a point in the first round with a counter-45 attack, but failed to get the call from the officials.
“I knew I was able to hit him in the first round which could have given me the momentum in the fight,” Go, who had won a bronze in the 2000 Asian Games in Busan , South Korea, told the Varsitarian. “But instead of pleading my case with the referee, I just vowed to get back in the second round.”
Although Go managed to knot the count at 1-1 with a thrust of his own early in the second round, still it was Kim who graced the scorecards anew, racking up three straight points for a comfortable 1-4 edge.
Sensing trouble, Go tried to mount a comeback in the third round to keep his gold-medal hopes alive. But the clever Korean simply danced out of trouble with deft footwork that rendered Go’s last-minute forays useless. Earlier in the competition, Go outclassed a bevy of Middle Eastern fighters whom he described as “risky” opponents because of their tremendous power.
“They (Middle Eastern jins) are very aggressive and powerful that even the Koreans, who were known for their speed and technique, found it hard to subdue them,” Go said. “I matched the kind of firepower that they exerted in every round to beat them.”
Go demolished Al Muradi Badralden of Yemen, 2-0, in the bracket of 32, Abykenov Aman of Kyrgyzstan, 2-1, in the final round of 16, before nipping Al Rashed Turki of Saudi Arabia, 3-1, in the quarterfinals to earn a semifinal ticket against Chinese-Taipei’s Su Tai Yuan.
The 2005 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist eventually trounced Su, 2-1, to arrange a finals showdown with Kim.
Go and the rest of Team Philippines finished fifth overall with a 2-silver, 3-bronze medal output.
This month, Go and Team Philippines underwent a two-week sparring session with the Korean national team at the Philippine Taekwondo Association Central Gym at the Rizal Sports Complex.
The RP jins will fly to Iran in February for a series of power-enhancing work-outs as part of their preparation for the coming 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand later this year.
The 25-year-old Go, who was hailed UAAP Most Valuable Player last season, donned the national colors, alongside fellow Thomasian jin Donald Geisler, at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
