Londres — El dolor, la desesperación y el llanto no dejaban hablar al dominicano Gabriel Mercedes, luego de perder su combate de los 58 kilos ante el yemení Tameem al-Kubati.

El subcampeón olímpico de taekwondo y una de las mayores esperanzas de medalla de la República Dominicana sufrió la rotura del ligamento anterior cruzado, informó el presidente del Comité Olímpico Dominicano, Luis Mejía, a The Associated Press.

"Dios mío, no; esto no puede ser. Dios, yo lo único que te pedí era salud para esta pelea", lloraba Mercedes al salir del área de entrevistas del ExCel donde se desarrollan las competencias de taekwondo en los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres.

Mercedes lideraba el combate 3-1 en el segundo round ante al-Kubati cuando cayó al suelo inmóvil. Su entrenador Jesús Silverio entró al tatami a darle tratamiento y el dominicano continuó con la contienda.

Pero en el tercer round, el yemení tomó una ventaja 4-3 y Mercedes volvió a caer al suelo. Esta vez no pudo levantarse solo.

"El cuadro médico que tenemos es que Gabriel tiene un desgarre del ligamento anterior cruzado de su rodilla. Ahora vamos a la clínica de la villa a someterlo a una resonancia magnética para ver cuál será el paso a seguir", dijo Milton Pinedo, médico de la delegación dominicana a The Associated Press.

Para Mercedes, de 32 años, Londres representaba sus últimos Juegos Olímpicos y su anhelo era brindarle a su país la tercera medalla de los Juegos Olímpicos para acompañar el oro y la plata que ganaron Félix Sánchez y Luguelín Santos, respectivamente, en atletismo. Ahora, no hay certeza sobre qué pasará con una lesión que generalmente aleja a los atletas de las competencias por al menos 10 meses.

El dominicano no pudo emitir declaraciones a The Associated Press al salir en camilla de la instalación deportiva. Rompió en llanto luego de recibir la primera pregunta.

"Gabriel está devastado por esta lesión. El siente que falló al país porque perdió, pero la realidad es que se lesionó, se lo explicamos, pero está muy triste en estos momentos", dijo Mejía.

Mercedes era el último atleta dominicano que quedaba en acción en disciplinas individuales en los Juegos de Londres. El jueves corre la cuarteta 4 x 400 en el cierre de los dominicanos.

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  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza reacts after defeating Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza makes her way to fight Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza fights Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez (in red) during their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza lays injured on the mat during her match against Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza fights Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez (in red) during their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)258

  • Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez reacts during her match against Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mali's Daba Modibo Keita fights Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza (in red) during their quarterfinal round match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Maria del Rosario Espinoza reacts after her match against Cambodia's Davin Sorn in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mali's Daba Modibo Keita fights Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza (in red) during their quarterfinal round match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mali's Daba Modibo Keita fights Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza (in red) during their quarterfinal round match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Spain's Brigette Yague Enrique makes her way to fight Mexico's Jannet Alegria Pena in the women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Jannet Alegria Pena waits to fight Jordan's Raya Hatahet in the women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Morocco's Sanaa Atabrour, right, fights Argentina's Carola Malvina Lopez Rodriquez during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes is attended to after getting injured during his fight against Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes reacts after his fight against Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati consoles Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes (in red) after their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati fights Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Russia's Alexey Denisenko fights Costa Rica's Heiner Oviedo (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Russia's Alexey Denisenko fights Costa Rica's Heiner Oviedo (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Russia's Kristina Kim gets kicked in the head by Thailand's Chanatip Sonkham during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Thailand's Chanatip Sonkham fights Russia's Kristina Kim (in red) during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Kazakhstan's Nursultan Mamayev fights Egypt's Tamer Bayoumi (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Kazakhstan's Nursultan Mamayev fights Egypt's Tamer Bayoumi (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Jannet Algeria Pena waits to fight Jordan's Raya Hatahet in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Jordan's Raya Hatahet fights Mexico's Jannet Algeria Pena (in red) during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Morocco's Sanaa Atabrour looks on during her fight against Argentina's Carola Malvina Lopez Rodriquez in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Jordan's Raya Hatahet fights Mexico's Jannet Alegria Pena (in red) during their match in the women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Jannet Algeria Pena fights Croatia's Lucija Zaninovic (in red) during their bronze medal match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)