Domingo cops silver in US Open Tae kwon do meet

C3

FORMER Sou th - east Asian Games gold medalist Veronica Domingo bagged a silver medal in the prestigious 2018 US Open Tae kwon do Championships held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Domingo opened her campaign in the women’s ultra sparring +67 kg. heavyweight division with an impressive 7-2 victory over Lisa Cuenca of the United States Tae kwon do Athletic Center in the first round.

She followed it up with a close 6-5 decision over Wendy Louie of the United States High Performance Tae kwon do in the semifinals to forge a gold-medal match against American Sanaz Shabazi.

Domingo settled for the runner-up honors after suffering a 5-9 defeat against Shabazi, who made it to the finals by beating her compatriots Jennifer Cardinal in the first round (133) and Jennifer Congleton in the semifinals (referee-stopped-contest).

The 5-foot-10 former Survivor Philippines castaway disclosed that she actually competed with an allergy attack.

“No one can stop me, not even an allergy. I’ve been working 65 plus hours a week and secret hours of training in preparation for the 2018 US Open. No complain or excuses but rather a grateful heart,” she said.

Domingo expressed her gratitude to the people who supported her campaign in international competitions.

“Big Thanks to Tae kwon Tigers Palo Alto J Hye Jin Jung and Gen Korean BBQ Fremont David Ghim for showing me your support and for allowing me to have an off day to take part of this prestigious annual event. To my Coaches Sir Angelito Ong of Ong’s Tae kwon do and Sir Jeff of Sparks Tae kwon do your guidance are being appreciated,” she said.

Domingo has been a dominant force in the sport since 2001.

She competed in three World Championships (2001, 2003 and 2007) and two World Cups (2001 and 2002). She won a silver medal in the 2002 Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, and a couple of bronze medals in the Asian Games (in 2002 in Busan, South Korea and in 2006 in Doha, Qatar).

Domingo also had her shining moments in the Southeast Asian Games, winning back-to-back gold medals in the 2001 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and 2003 (Hanoi, Vietnam) editions as well as a silver during the 2005 Manila SEA Games and a bronze in the 2007 Thailand Games.