The gold medal was right there for the picking for Kris Uy late Monday night when the roof caved in during the men’s +87 kg-kilogram finals of the Asian Taekwondo Championships at the Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom.
Ranged against defending champion Dmitriy Shokin of Uzbekistan, Uy was ahead, 4-3, when he got struck by Shokin’s turning side kick with less than a minute remaining in the third and final round.
Affected by the side kick that was worth three points, Uy got hit anew, this time by a punch right before the match ended, giving the Uzbek the come-from-behind 7-4 victory.
“This was a tough loss but I am (still) glad to have won a silver medal for my country,” said Uy, who saw action but lost his opening assignment during the Olympic qualifying for Asia over the weekend.
Shokin came into the match with sterling credentials, having been Uzbekistan’s first world champion in the sport aside from being the 2014 Asian Games champion.
Kirstie Alora, who booked a ticket to the Rio Olympics, melted away in the semifinals, losing to Cambodian entry Seavmey Sorn anew, 1-0, in the women’s 73 kg.
Sorn had also beaten Alora during the finals of the Olympic qualifying a few days ago.(N. Giongco, mb)