Phl jins miss bus to Paris

MANILA, Philippines — Kurt Barbosa and Jessica Canabal suffered heartbreaking defeats in the Asian Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in Tai’an, China yesterday, denying them of Paris Olympics entry.

Needing just a victory to make the Olympic cut, Barbosa and Canabal failed to deliver and fell to Kazakhstan’s Samirkhon Ababakirov in the men’s -58-kilogram and Lebanon’s Laetitia Aoun in the women’s -57kg, respectively.

It completed a shutout for Philippine taekwondo, which was hoping to have a representation to Paris alongside pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan and boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.

Also falling one victory short of realizing their Olympic dream were Tachiana Mangin and Arven Alcantara, who were shown the door the other day.

Mangin lost to Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Abutaleb in the women’s -49kg while Alcantara got the boot from Ali Reza Abbasi of the International Olympic Committee Refugee Olympic Team in the men’s -68kg.