RIVERO

VIENTIANE, Laos — Two-time Olympian Mary Antoinette Rivero returns to claim what has been denied to her two years ago when she fights Valy Mathmanisone of Laos in the semifinals of the taekwondo competition Thursday in the 25th Southeast Asian Games.

Rivero reached the final of the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand only to drop a controversial decision to home bet Cassandra Haller.

The 21-year-old Filipina led the Thai, 5-0, in the first round, but inexplicably failed to earn a single point in the next two rounds to lose the fight.

Against the host’s top welterweight, Rivero is expected to go all out for the kill and a spot in the gold medal bout.

Rivero is a two-time Games champion and heads a crack team out to better its 2007 collection of one gold, four silvers and six bronzes.

“A minimum of two and a maximum of five golds,” said RP coach Rocky Samson on the eve of the competition. “We not only have to win, but win convincingly to avoid putting the outcome of the fights in judges’ hands.”

The electronic armor used in the recent world taekwondo championship in Copenhagen, Denmark won’t make its Games debut.

Stephen Fernandez, now a Games referee, said the armor needs more testing and improvement.

Rivero is one five Filipinos that have been assured of the bronze medals.

The others are heavyweights Kirstie Alora and Alexander Briones, featherweight Tshomlee Go and bantamweight Kathleen Eunice Alora.

Four other Filipinos are in action Thursday evening at the Booyong gym inside the National University, a stone’s throw away from the Games Village.

Welterweight Marlon Avenido clashes with Indonesian Basuki Nugroho, middleweight Criselda Roxas faces Vietnamese Ha Thi Nguyen, Kirstie Alora tangles with Malaysian Lee Wan Yuen and Briones squares off with Vietnamese Dinh Quang Toan.