Olympic Taekwondo: Toni Rivero Loses in Beijing 2008

1st Round: (0 – 0)
2nd Round: (1 -1 , with one warning against Saric)
3rd Round: Sandra Saric Wins! Final Score (1-4)

Several years of training and international competitions all boiled down to a few minutes in the mat. However, that is what competitions are and Marie Antoinette Rivero of the Philippines has nothing but pride at having qualified twice and bravely fought in the Olympic games.

She was paired against Croatia’s Sandra Saric, a taller fighter from Croatia.

The first round saw an aggressive Toni Rivero and a very cautious Saric.

On the second round, Rivero scored a clean kick and was automatically awarded a point. Saric’s counter also got her a point, about half a second after Rivero’s score. But since Saric was always retreating and went out of bounds a few times, she got a 0.5 pt deduction (warning).

On the third round, the Croatian counter fighter scored clean hits to win the bout. Rivero chased her all over the mat but failed to land a score. As usual, there were a number of blows that were deemed worthy of scores but the judges’ call ruled the day.

With Toni Rivero’s loss, the Philippines will be pinning its last hope for an Olympic medal on Ryan Rexel Fabriga. Fabriga who will compete in the men's 10-meter platform.