Barbosa boosts Tokyo hopes

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Kurt Barbosa stunned Asian Games bronze medalist Molomyn Tumenbayar of Mongolia in the 2021 Asian Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament in Amman, Jordan yesterday to inch closer to earning a Tokyo berth.

Barbosa, 21, had a faulty start after yielding a point off a penalty and allowing a head kick to trail, 0-4. But he came roaring  back to snatch 8-7 and 30-18 leads after the first two rounds before prevailing in the end, 40-33, in their men’s -58kg showdown.

That propelled Barbosa to the semifinals where a victory over Zaid Al-Halawani of host Jordan would clinch the Filipino a spot in the Tokyo Olympics in July.

Also a win away from making the Olympic cut was 2016 Rio Olympian Kirstie Elaine Alora, who was battling Uzbekistan’s Svetlana Osipova at press time in the women’s +67kg class that drew only four participants.

Barbosa and Alora were the last Filipinos standing after Pauline Lopez succumbed to 2018 Jakarta Asiad bronze medalist Laetitia Aoun of Lebanon in a heartbreaking 10-21 result in the women’s -57kg division.

The SEA Games golden girl, who routed Syria’s Aya Al-Jarayhe, 22-0, in the opening round, was actually ahead, 6-3, midway in the second round but Aoun fought her way back to snatch the lead, 11-6.

Lopez tried to turn things around in her favor but her Lebanese rival found ways to counter and held her ground.

It came a day after Arven Alcantara bowed out following a 9-23 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan’s Ulugbek Rashitov.