Off Track ..... UAE sheikha kicked in face in debut

A sports-loving princess from the United Arab Emirates made her Olympic debut at the Beijing Games Friday and was kicked in the head by a two-time world taekwondo champion.

"I'm pretty hard-headed. It doesn't bother me at all. I'm pretty used to it. I'm a tough girl. Don't worry," quipped 28-year-old Sheikha Maitha bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, a member of the Gulf country's ruling royal family.

She bowed 5-1 to Hwang Kyung-seon, six years her junior, from South Korea - homeland of the martial art marked by kicking, punching and yelling.