2004 OLYMPIC GAMES - Athens, Greece Aug. 13 - 29

[BOREALIS]

Abdallah takes silver; African taekwondo athlete knocked out

Posted 8/27/2004 11:20 AM
Updated 8/27/2004 4:07 PM


ATHENS (AP) — Nia Abdallah's lack of international experience turned out to be her biggest asset in the Olympic taekwondo tournament.

"I don't think anybody expected me to do anything here," she said.

Abdallah won a silver medal in taekwondo Friday, advancing all the way to the final before losing 2-1 to Jang Ji-won of South Korea in the 126-pound (57 kg) class. Iridia Salazar Blanco of Mexico won the bronze.

Later, Hadi Saei Bonehkohal of Iran won the gold medal in the men's 150-pound (68 kg) division, beating Chih Hsiung Huang of Taiwan 4-3. Song Myeong-seob of South Korea got the bronze.

Abdallah, a little-known competitor from Houston, was the first American woman to win an Olympic match in taekwondo, added as an official sport in Sydney in 2000.

"Just me winning my first fight was putting myself in the record books," she said. "I'm happy for what I got."

She beat Margarita Mkrtchyan of Russia in the first round, Cristiana Corsi of Italy in the second and Nootcharin Sukkhongdumnoen of Thailand in the semifinals. Only Mkrtchyan had faced Abdallah before.

"I was a newcomer," said Abdalah, who felt that was an advantage.

In the final, the 20-year-old Abdallah fell behind early and didn't score until the third and last round. Still, she was thrilled with her performance.

"This is an amazing time in my life," she said. "I got a silver medal. Everyone is asking for my picture and everything. I'm just glad to be here."

Men's 68kg match

Also on Friday, a taekwondo competitor from the Central African Republic was hospitalized for precautionary tests after being knocked out during a preliminary bout.

Bertrand Gbongou Liango was kicked in the left side of the head by Tuncay Caliskan of Austria during their 150-pound (68 kg) bout. His head snapped back and he then fell face-down to the mat. He lay motionless while being counted out and was carried off on a stretcher.

Liango, 22, was unconscious but breathing as he was carried off, a venue manager said.

Hadi Saei Bonehkohal of Iran ended up winning the gold medal in the men's 68-kilogram bout, beating Chih Hsiung Huang of Taiwan 4-3. Song Myeong-seob of South Korea got the bronze.

After a couple minutes he started moving his hands, breathing easily and regained consciousness, a doctor at the site said in a statement. Liango was undergoing tests at Tzanio Hospital and will remain there for at least 24 hours.

"Thank god Bertrand is OK," said Liango's coach, Zacques Dominik. "We saw him moving his hands and breathing. Everything is going well."

Liango was leading 4-1 in the third and final round of his bout when a roundhouse kick from Caliskan knocked him unconscious.

"It is the nature of our sport," Caliskan said. "I tried to win the match, which was the same thing that my opponent did. I send him my best wishes."

Caliskan's kick was legal. In taekwondo, competitors score points by kicking or punching their opponents. They are allowed to punch only the body, but can kick the their opponent's head.

Blows to the head count for two points, and a blow to the body is worth one point. Competitors wear padded headgear and chest and abdomen protectors.

"It is an ordinary technique," Austria coach Mustafa Atalar said. "My athlete tried to win the match and not to harm his opponent. He executed the kick but the other athlete didn't take the right defensive position. This was the first time that I saw this kick cause such damage."


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