Monday May 22,
2000
Bosshart tops at
taekwondo
By JASON PAUL
Toronto Sun
HAMILTON -- Dominique Bosshart is going to be
a little lonely when she goes to Sydney in September.
The 22-year-old is the sole Canadian taekwondo competitor to qualify for the Olympics, but
Bosshart feels pretty confident she'll be bringing back some hardware.
"I'm looking for a gold medal. I think it's a good possibility," Bosshart said
yesterday. "It will be extraordinary for taekwondo in Canada, especially if I can get
a gold medal. It's a pretty low-profile sport and it definitely gives us recognition to be
a part of the Olympics."
The Winnipeg resident, who earned a berth at the Pan American Olympic qualifying
tournament in October in Miami, has put university on hold for two years to concentrate on
her training.
Bosshart continued her dominance in Canada when she won her eighth consecutive national
championship yesterday, defeating Rosaria Marabella of Quebec at Hamilton's Mountain
Arena.
"I never take anything for granted. If anything, I'm underconfident," said
Bosshart, whose family moved to Manitoba from Switzerland when she was 3-years-old.
"It would be nice to have a team going, a strong Canadian team training together and
preparing for the Olympics, but I'll use the rest of the team for support."
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Bosshart, who won a silver medal at last year's world
championships in Edmonton, is going to train for two months near Seoul this summer before
heading to Sydney.
Taekwondo gained official Olympic status after being a demonstration sport in 1988 and
1992. There are 154 countries registered with the World taekwondo Federation, 45 of which
will be competing in four categories: fin/fly, bantam/feather, light/welter and
middle/heavyweights.
Taekwondo is similar to karate except competitors can't punch in the face, points are
earned by kicks to the face or chest protectors, and there is a bit more finesse involved.
In other matches this weekend, Etobicoke's Eric Ahn defeated Hunnee Kim of East York to
win the welterweight division while Quebec's Barbara Pak was the women's champion.
Quebec's Darrell Henegan was the top male heavyweight.
Other winners who qualified for the 2001 world championships: Quebec's Roxane Forget and
Duk-Sang Ha of Saskatchewan (flyweight); Alberta's Cherie Travis and B.C
Reprinted with permission
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