If Mexico wins two gold medals today—which is about as likely as Quetzalcóatl descending from the heavens in Wuxi and setting the stadium ablaze—the Mexican team will probably return home triumphant, grateful, and convinced they did everything right, but above all pretending that the previous six days never happened… The problem is that they did happen. And the other problem is that Mexico isn’t going to win two gold medals today; I say this with the same certainty with which a professional fortune-teller predicts rain when the sky is cloudy.
Yesterday, two more Mexicans were eliminated in Wuxi. At this point, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but there’s still that strange feeling when you realize that these are two more to add to the dozen national team members who’ve been eliminated, and when you do the math, it turns out that of the 16 I had—of the 16 I had left—I now have only two remaining.
Yesterday’s losses were dramatic: Damián Cortés lost in the first round to an African fighter from Niger (Niger [NIG], not Nigeria [NGR]) who, in addition to embodying every African stereotype—tall, strong, awkward, and black—was also an excellent fighter. He beat the Korean in the second round and made it all the way to the quarterfinals, where he even gave the Russian from AIN a run for his money. This competitor is one of life’s surprises—but more than life itself, the world championship.
Damián was one of the fighters we were most looking forward to seeing, but that’s precisely because he’s one of the best-known names in the sport, and given the string of disappointments we’ve been experiencing, he was unfairly burdened with the weight of expectations. He didn’t actually have a bad fight, but I think it’s time to face reality: even though he’s a very good fighter, he’s not yet at the level required for a world championship, at least not yet. I’m sure that one of these days, the Kid Azteca will live up to all the expectations—perhaps even his own—placed on him. It won’t happen soon, but I’m sure we’ll see it happen.
We're not in Kansas anymore…
The other Mexican fighter who competed yesterday was Isabella Lovaglio; I’ve seen her at events in the region, but I don’t know much else about her career. Yesterday she had two good bouts: one against Peru, which served as a warm-up, and one against the Czech Republic, who was ranked third and looked much more experienced. If there’s one thing to highlight about Isabella’s performance, it’s that she had a good attitude in the ring but was outmatched in the ring. Let this serve as a lesson: attitude and optimism aren’t enough, but I predict a great future for her if she manages to work on the rest.
Today marks the end of Mexico’s run in Wuxi. Don’t pin your hopes on the athletes—it’s not fair (and this is coming from someone who was once the last hope of what is now the worst team in history). Whatever happens today, someone has to lose their job—and I mean really lose it, not just for a few months like when they came back from Paris. Otherwise, don’t expect much from Mexican taekwondo from here on out.
I’ve been saying this for years: Mexico doesn’t stand a chance in Olympic-level events; it’s currently the worst team in the Grand Prix series, and the results in Paris 2024 speak for themselves. After what’s happened here—and regardless of what happens today—I have to expand on that statement: Mexico doesn’t stand a chance in world-class events.
We need to tear the national team down and rebuild it from scratch—we’re already at that point… Now, let Quetzalcóatl come down.
That's terrible! What do you mean, "burn it"? Hahaha, I know—that's how disappointing their performance was.
It’s no excuse, but the athletes are the least to blame; as of today, they did their part by being the best in Mexico and passing their evaluation process—and what more could they have done? If having a technical advisory board weren’t enough (dangerous! Better not to trust them), they’re a reflection of last-minute processes: putting together a national team just days or weeks before a World Cup, a terrible coaching staff, (rookies in my opinion, CNAR), of very poor preparation (training 2–3 hours a day for a World Championship is laughable; justifying it with physical tests that lead nowhere is also laughable), of terrible or non-existent planning of events that would allow for preparation, of almost no competition experience outside the continent, and little interaction with athletes of different body types, such as Nigerians, Europeans, or Asians.
As you said, going to a world championship to gain experience is the height of irony—could one possibly expect a better result?
I wonder, if I, as a parent, am involved and keeping track of the annual World Taekwondo calendar, why aren’t the people who are actually responsible for doing so? Are the people in charge incompetent, or are their hands tied by financial constraints? I’d bet on both.
If they can’t even get their act together to plan a trip—we saw it at the Sofia World Championships—situations that make me certain that it’s only because God is great!
In short, my conclusion: a system, an organization, a leadership that makes no sense whatsoever……