Can Tina Skaar Beat The Odds And Her Opponents In Rio?

There's a narrative common to Olympians of long training hours, the highs & lows of competition and the struggle to balance their sporting efforts and the rest of their lives, but Norwegian Tina Skaar has had to battle far more than just fierce opponents and a punishing training regime as it is less than a decade since her diagnosis for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis the crippling fatigue inducing illness.

67kg+ Taekwondo Odds

• Shuyin Zheng 7/2
• Maria Espinoza 7/2
• Gwladys Epangue 4/1
• Tina Skaar 40/1

Most sports at the Olympics have long and illustrious histories dating back centuries, their origins lost in the mists of time, the centuries of development ending in codification and official recognition of uniformity and finally acceptance into the Olympic pantheon of sporting excellence. However there are some competitions that seemed such a good idea they got onto the fast track to inclusion, and Tina Skaar can be thankful that the best example is her own sport of Taekwondo, the Korean martial art.

Tina Skaar

• Nationality – Norwegian
• Age – 22
• Sport – Taekwondo (67kg+)

Stemming from the post-war martial arts schools (or Kwans) that flourished in the wake of the Japanese wartime occupation of the peninsula, there were various forms and styles of basically the same martial art that were merged at the urging of then South Korean President Syngman Rhee with Choi Hong Hi coining the name Taekwondo and despite the cold war slowing progress by the year 2000 it was one of only two asian martial arts at the Olympics (the other is Judo) and if you like to bet on sports in Norway Tina Skaar may well be worth a wager this summer.

Bet365 Has All The Odds On Taekwondo In Rio This Summer

Norway is far better known for its winter sports prowess, dominating certain portions of the snow-&-ice based sporting world but the northern Europeans are not adverse to summer sports either and, naturally given their latitudes, have a keen interest in indoor sports such as handball, gymnastics and wrestling all of which will see Norwegian representation in the 2016 Rio Olympics, but in the womens 67kg Taekwondo all eyes will be on Tina Skaar the 22 year old that has overcome so much to attend.


At 13 Tina Skaar was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (or ME) that brings on chronic symptoms of fatigue, and perhaps it was suffering from bullying at school that made her beg for six months to join the Taekwondo class at her father's gym. Beating her illness and most of her opponents she demonstrated a determination that should leave any Norwegian gambling news from Rio will be of her doing better than expected. “It has been about gradually getting better & better, of trying to see how good I can be.”

Tina Skaar Has Some Scars But She's In Rio To Get Gold Regardless

“ME is tricky because it’s hard to diagnose. You can’t take a blood test to see that you have it. There’s plenty of skepticism that you are actually malingering. I lost many friends when I was ill, and because of this I was subjected to bullying at school. Training meant everything to me.” Tina Skaar said of her start in the sport and she still trains hard as she prepares for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and acknowledges she still suffers from issues of self esteem despite having mastered self-reliance and gaining confidence from her victories.

With two silver medals from the U21 championships in Athens and Kisinau, a bronze medal in the European Championships (in that all important Olympic weight class) Tina Skaar is garnering a rather stingy 40/1 at Bet365 and its ilk to grab the gold at the Carioca Arena 3 in the Barra Olympic Park, but if you're going to take advantage of Norwegian gambling laws to put a bet on the Taekwondo at the 2016 Rio Olympics remember that Tina Skaar has overcome far more than just long odds to get there and she's there to win.