Shaikha Maitha misses Olympic win

Beijing: The UAE's Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Al Maktoum went down fighting to Athens bronze medallist Hwang Kyoung-Seon of South Korea in the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday.

Kyoung-Seon, the hot favourite to win the -67kg title, beat Shaikha Maitha 5-1.

A two-time world champion Kyoung-Seon will now take on European champion Sandra Saric of Croatia for a place in the semi-finals.

Saric defeated Philippines medal hope Mary Antoinette Rivero 4-1.

In another bout Olympic and world champion Steven Lopez of the United States subdued Turkey's Bahri Tanrikulu to settle a score in a rivalry between two taekwondo clans.

The American, fighting for a third straight Olympic gold medal, came from behind to beat 78-84kg world champion Tanrikulu in the -80kg welterweight first round. The score was 3-0 after both fighters were given a one-point penality.