Alora unfazed, rarin’ to face top Mexican

RIO DE JANEIRO – The last one standing for Team Philippines in the 2016 Rio Olympics is a female taekwondo jin who’s not afraid to take on anyone her size.

Kirstie Elaine Alora, who’s vying in the +67 kg class, will see action on Aug. 20, just when the 12 other Filipino athletes who made it to this Olympics have flown out of Rio.

Alora will be up against the gold medalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and bronze medalist in the 2012 London Olympics – Maria Espinoza of Mexico.

Espinoza, flag-bearer for Mexico in London four years ago, is a star. Inside the Athletes Village here, there are posters bearing her image as one of the Visa athletes.

At 28, she is two years older than Alora and a couple of kilos heavier.

Obviously, she has stronger credentials, also winning gold medals in the 2007 World Championships and 2016 Pan-American Championships.

Espinoza is a certified world beater.

Alora has never won the gold in the world stage but bronze medals in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, and the 2016 Asian Championships.

Yet, the Filipina who loves to spar with male taekwondo athletes back home is unfazed. All she knows is that she can win it all here.

Alora and Espinoza have met once, just after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Mexican won by the slimmest of margins, 2-1.

“Kaya ko yan (I can handle her),” Alora said even before she flew to Rio last June 23. The draw sheets of the taekwondo competition here were out since last month.

Three days before her Olympic debut, Alora watched taekwondo action with coach Kitoy Cruz in the morning, and then more action on TV in the evening.

Cruz, once unbeatable as a finweight in Southeast Asia, had shown Alora the draw sheet. They looked at the different scenarios.

One thing is clear though: Alora has to beat Espinoza if she wants to win a medal here.

Alora needs three wins to get to the finals, and that’s if she gets past the No. 1 seed in her division. Of 16 entries in the +67 kg class, the Filipina is ranked 16th.

Still, she said she’s contented with the draw even if it paired her with the top-ranked fighter in their class for her opening assignment.

“The taller opponents are in the lower bracket,” said Alora, referring to jins from China (No. 2), Serbia (No. 6) and France (No. 7), who all stand above six feet.

She really likes her chances against the Mexican.

Alora has a couple of chances to win a medal here and give the Philippines its best finish in the Olympics.

Either she wins three straight bouts and gets to the finals or even if she drops her opening match and falls into the repechage but only  if Espinoza gets to the finals.

In the repechage, Alora can land in the battle for the bronze medal. Two bronze medals are awarded in each division in taekwondo.

“The only problem is that if I land in the repechage, I will move to the lower bracket and most likely end up fighting the taller ones. That’s why I think it’s more difficult to win the bronze here than get to the finals,” she said.

“It’s better for me to win three straight matches and get to the finals straight. I can’t lose my first match or in the semis or face the taller ones in the repechage. I would rather go straight to the finals,” added Alora.

“If I’m not successful against Espinoza, I will only get a possible shot at the bronze medal if she goes straight to the finals,” she said.

Alora reviewed the draw sheet with his coach.

“Kaya ni Elaine yan,” said Cruz of Alora’s chances against Espinoza.

If Alora wins a medal of any color here, the Philippines will surpass its best finish in the Olympics of three bronze medals in 1932 in Los Angeles.

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won the silver in the women’s 53 kg class 11 days ago, ending the country’s 20-year medal drought in the Olympics.

Eleven other Pinoy athletes have bowed out of competition, all failing to advance to the next round of their respective events.

Ian Lariba of table tennis dropped her opening match to an opponent from Congo while weightlifter Nestor Colonia did not get close to the podium in the men’s 56 kg class. Swimmers Jessie Khing Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi failed to get past the heats in men’s 400m freestyle and women’s 100m freestyle.

Light-flyweight Rogen Ladon lost his first match to a boxer from Colombia while lightweight Charly Suarez, another medal hope in boxing, took a narrow first-round loss to his opponent from Great Britain. Fil-Japanese judoka Kodo Nakano was overpowered by his rival from Italy in his opening match.

Golfer Miguel Tabuena struggled for three days with a hurting shoulder and broke par only in the final round, and finished 56th among 60 entries. Marathoner Mary Joy Tabal wound up 124th among 157 entries.

The other night, long jumper Marestella Torres Sunang and Fil-American Eric Cray bowed out at the Nilton Stadium, far from their personal best.

Except for Diaz and Sunang, who were in their third straight Olympics, and Lacuna and Alkhaldi, who were in their second, all the rest are first-time Olympians.

Most of the Filipino athletes have flown out of Rio, with Cray and Sunang flying home on Friday.