Four-gold sweep by RP jins
By Shalimar Faith Antonio

Cheered on by their home crowd, Filipino jins swept all four gold medals at the start of taekwondo Monday in what looks like an ominous title drive.

Veterans Donald David Geisler, Mary Antoinette Rivero and Tshomlee Go and debuting Esther Marie Singson turned the crowd into frenzy as they clinched their respective gold medals.

Geisler, an Athen’s Olympian, secured a 7-6 victory against Thailand’s Patiwat Thongsalap in the men’s lightweight division finals, for his third SEAG gold.

In the women’s lightweight crown, Olympian Rivero never showed signs of letting up and nipped Indon Goppy Trismawanty, 5-1.

Unable to score in the first two rounds, Go unleashed a late kick and a game-winning counter 45 against Vu Ahn Tuan of Vietnam, registering a 2-1 victory in the men’s bantamweight final.

Not to be left behind, Singson, a varsity standout, downed Juana Wangsa Putri of Indonesia, 4-2 to clinch the women’s bantamweight title.

Geisler and Rivero were among those who won a gold medal in the 2003 Sea games in Vietnam along with Dax Alberto Morfe, Margarita Maria Estela Bonifacio and Veronica Domingo.

SEA GAMES PHILIPPINES [http://www.2005seagames.com.ph/]