Bronze for Bates at Youth Olympic Games
By Lisa Ramsperger
USA Taekwondo
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 20, 2010
(Courtesy photo - Xinhua/SYOGOC-Pool/Guo Lei)
ABOVE: Gold medalist in the 49 kg taekwondo category Worawong Pongpanit of Thailand, second from left, silver medalist Dana Touran of Jordan, left, and bronze medalists Jessie Bates of the USA, right, and Malanie Phan of Canada, second from right, stand on the podium during the awards ceremony Aug. 16 at the 1020 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
BELOW:
The USA's Jessie Bates, right, kicks Chimi Wangmo of Bhutan during the women's 49 kg taekwondo quarterfinal match in Singapore Aug. 16 during the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Bates won the match and advanced to the semifinal.
Bates dropped a hard-fought, 2-1 match to Dana Touran of Jordan in the semifinals of the girls 49-kilogram weight class to finish third at the International Convention Center in Singapore.
"I really appreciate the opportunity. I've been training so hard and so long for this, to bring back a medal, I'm grateful," Bates, 16, said. "It was right there, but I will get another chance. Coming here and fighting elite level athletes and being able to challenge myself will help me grow as an athlete and a competitor."
Bates led off with a thrilling, 9-6 overtime win versus Korea's So Hui Kim, a favorite heading into the tournament.
In the quarterfinals, Bates built a sizeable lead against Chimi Wangmo of Bhutan and the referee stopped the contest with 0:25 left in the second round.
Thailand's Worawong Pongpanit defeated Touran 5-4 to claim gold, and Melanie Phan of Canada claimed the other bronze medal.
Bates, who is heading into her junior year at Redondo Union High School, earned her spot on the team as a result of her finish at the Youth Qualification Tournament in March. She also fell to Touran at the qualification event.
Her mother, Lynette Bates, is a U.S. Air force captain from Shiprock. Her grandmother is Linda Garcia of Shiprock and her grandfather is Ray Padilla, from Aztec, N.M.
Her father, Chee Bates, is the son of Council Delegate LoRenzo Bates (Upper Fruitland).
A total of 60 athletes, the top six athletes in each of the 10 weight categories at the WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games held March 3 to 4 in Tijuana, Mexico, were qualified for the taekwondo competition.
The competition lineup is comprised of 100 young taekwondo athletes from 67 countries.
The U.S. Team in Singapore is comprised of 82 athletes in 18 sports, the maximum number of qualified U.S. athletes.
The 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore continue through Aug. 26 with a variety of competitive events for athletes ages 14 to 18. The athletes also take part in the Culture and Education Program.
(c) 2009 United States Olympic Committee
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