US-based coach blasts sore losers

USA Taekwondo Association coach Gerry Marcial said he saw no reason why there is an uproar over officiating in the sport and called on losers to accept defeat graciously instead of trying to taint the integrity of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games.

Marcial, a Filipino black belter based in San Mateo, California, flew in Sunday to watch three days of taekwondo action at the Cuneta Astrodome. His daughter Rachel is a world-class finweight and plans to compete at the CPJ Open here in February.

If any country was at a disadvantage, it was the Philippines, noted Marcial.

On the first day of competition, the Philippines swept the four gold medals at stake. That created a stir and losers began to voice out apprehensions in media, trying to pressure referees to disfavor the host nation. The Philippines took only two more gold medals the rest of the way. There were 16 gold medals up for grabs in the sport.

Thailand was particularly vocal about "unfair" officiating and even its Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was quoted in media criticizing alleged "hometown" decisions.

What probably prompted the Thai tirade was Filipino lightweight Donnie Geisler"s hairline 7-6 win over Patiwat Thongsalap on a last second kick to bag the gold medal last Monday. The next day, Filipina flyweight Loraine (Sugar) Catalan upset 2003 SEA Games silver medalist Yaowapa Boorapolchai in sudden death and the Thais were up in arms.

In a display of unsportsmanlike conduct, Yaowapa held up a placard with the words "Fair Games" and ran around the Cuneta playing floor twice after Catalan won in overtime.

Marcial said both Geisler and Catalan won fair and square.

"The Thais shouldn’t complain," said Marcial, a B-1 level referee who is a rung below the international category. "Donnie won his fight even if it was close. So did Sugar. Because of the uproar, I think the referees were affected and robbed the Philippines of more chances to win gold. It should be the Philippines protesting, not Thailand."

Marcial, 48, said if the Philippines is to make waves at the world level, the jins must be exposed to more international competition and learn to adjust to fighting taller opponents.

"At the Southeast Asian level, there’s no doubt we’re competitive," said Marcial. "But at the Asian level where Korea, China and Japan are dominant, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Master Hong (Sung Chon) has done a great job honing our fighters. The experience of fighting overseas, particularly in the US and Europe, will broaden our outlook. Our fighting style of moving straight in or straight out won’t work against taller and bigger opponents. I’m confident with Master Hong’s guidance, we’ll be able to make the necessary adjustments when we go up to the next level of competition."

Marcial said in his opinion, Geisler was the most outstanding jin in the men’s division and Toni Rivero in the ladies class.

"Donnie has announced his retirement because he wants to leave the sport on a high note but I hope he’ll reconsider," said Marcial. "He dedicated his victory to his son. He’s only 23 and I think he’s definitely world-class. If he continues, I see Donnie fighting for a medal at the Beijing Olympics. Among the ladies, Toni was the best with Em-Em (Esther Marie) Singson close behind."

The jins finished the three-day competitions with six golds, five silvers and a bronze. It was an improvement of the Philippines" harvest of five golds, three silvers and six bronzes in Vietnam two years ago. But it failed to match the haul of eight golds, eight silvers and five bronzes when the Philippines hosted the SEA Games in 1991.

"It was a pity that some of the referees seemed to be distracted by the charges of unfair officiating," said Marcial. "That worked against the Philippines because I thought we could’ve won more golds. Perhaps, we should’ve invited more international referees from outside Asia to raise the quality of officiating. They would’ve been able to handle the pressure a lot better."

Marcial said he was impressed by up-and-coming jins like Singson who’s only 19 and high school senior Kristie Elaine Alora. Singson, a SEA Games rookie, beat Juana Wangsa Putri of Indonesia, 4-2, in the bantamweight finals while Alora, also a SEA Games first-timer, trounced Phonkeo Xayyavong of Laos, 12-5, for the featherweight gold.

"Em-Em is young, fast and strong," said Marcial. "With a little more gym work, she’ll be a world contender. She still makes rash decisions. But I like the way she fights. She’s like a roughhouser. She’s small and that’s why she has to fight tougher to overpower her opponents."

Marcial is the head trainer at Master Kim Jae Sok’s martial arts gym in San Anselmo, California, and tutors 17 internationally competitive jins and about 75 promising fighters. He’s opening his own gym in Sacramento next year. Marcial, who is working on his fourth dan black belt, was born in Manila and has lived in the US since 1967.

While watching the action at the Cuneta Astrodome, Marcial was tapped to join Monsour del Rosario and Eugene Rodriguez for expert commentary in the TV coverage of the matches. He wound up behind the microphone for the duration of the competitions.

"It was a great experience for me," said Marcial. "I came to observe the quality of competition at the Southeast Asian level and I enjoyed sharing my insights on TV. I hope I was able to contribute even in a small way to make the fans appreciate the sport more."

A highlight of Marcial’s visit was being introduced to Philippine Taekwondo Association president Robert Aventajado and meeting once more Master Hong.