Photos by Dr. Terry DeFreitas
Karine and Coach Master Mourad gaze East past the mountains of Columbia toward Beijing, while anxiously awaiting the final match that would seal their Olympic dream
Karine Sergerie, who just seven months ago became Canada’s first World Taekwondo Champion, will now very likely be an Olympian too. Her and fellow Quebecer Jocelyn Addison are returning from the Pan American Qualifier in Columbia, where participating nations battled to send their players to the Beijing Olympics.
Team Doctor Terry DeFreitas recaps Sergerie’s fights:
Karine Sergerie faced Andrea Bedard representing Grenada in her first match. Ultimately Karine was victorious. Her next match was against Puerto Rico, Karine came through to clinch a spot for Canada at the Olympics. Winning the semi final gave Karine an Olympic spot but the day was not over — there was a final match to complete. In the final she met up with Argentina. For this match it was almost impossible to get 3 judges to agree on the points at the same time. The Argentina competitor came out on top this day.
Karine (left) receives the silver medal, and her key to Beijing
Addison came tragically close to qualifying. Beating his first two opponents, he lost to Brazil in the semi-finals, setting him up for a bronze-medal match with Dominican Republic’s Gabriel Mercedes. It was a tough 1-0 loss for Addison.
Now Canada joins the other 8 nations that will be sending three out of the maximum four Taekwondo athletes to Beijing. Only five countries are sending a full set: Australia, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, the U.S., and Venezuela.
The next stage is the Team Trials in Regina, where the player to fill the -67kg division (which Sergerie just qualified) at the Olympics will be chosen. Alternate athletes in case of sickness or injury will also be chosen for the other two qualified divisions.
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