TAEKWONDO
WANCHAI RUJAWONGSANTI
BEIJING : Chutchawal Khaolaor looks to be Thailand's best bet in taekwondo while Chonnapas Premwaew and Buttree Puedpong face tough opponents in their opening bouts after the draw was made yesterday.
Chutchawal, who will be competing in the men's 58kg division tomorrow, begins his campaign against Jean Moloise Oguodjobi of Benin in the first round (round of 16).
The Thai, who was runner-up in the 54kg class at last year's World Championships, would then take on Tshomlee Go of the Philippines or Ryan Carneli of Australia in the quarter-finals.
In the women's 49kg class tomorrow, Buttree meets Cuba's Daynellis Montejo, the 51kg bronze medallist at the 2005 worlds. Yaowapa Burapolchai won bronze for Thailand in the division at the 2004 Games.
In the women's 57kg division on Thursday, Chonnapas, who finished fifth at last year's World Championships, faces American Diana Lopez, the 2005 world champion in the 59kg class.
In taekwondo, the weight classes at the Olympics are different from the World Championships and other competitions. In complicated rules, the losers in the first and second rounds could still advance to the bronze medal round if the opponents who beat them reach the finals.
Preecha Tortrakul, vice president of the Taekwondo Association of Thailand (TAT), said he was pleased with the draw and all three Thai fighters had a chance to progress to later rounds.
He said he believed Chutchawal would get past Oguodjobi but the Thai must try to avoid injury as his opponent has hard kicks.
"It is unfortunate that defending champion Chu Mu-yen is in the other half of the draw," Preecha said.
Buttree was handed a tough assignment against Montejo but if she can clear the first hurdle she has a high chance of progressing to the medal round, he said.
While Lopez is a former world champion, Chonnapas beat her at the Olympic qualification tournament in Manchester last year, Preecha said.
"Chonnapas' problem is she is still nursing a slight injury," he said. "I think the tournament is wide open and everybody is capable of winning medal."
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