The Regional Central Gym (RCG) Strikers Tagum bagged the 10th Pulong Duterte Taekwondo Championship in dominating fashion before a jampacked crowd at the SM Annex Ecoland in Davao City.
Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte congratulated the particpants as RCG Strikers Tagum won the overall championship in the tournament. RCG
Kaizen was named overall first runner-up, while RCG Matanao and the Hwarang, respectively, placed 2nd and 3rd runners-up, said coach and organizer Johnny Kim.
In a statement, Duterte said the Pulong Taekwondo Championship is an annual event for Mindanao-based taekwondo athletes.
This year, due to space constraints, the tournament was held only in the Davao Region, Kim meanwhile said.
Almost 700 taekwondo athletes competed during the Davao regionwide championship games. Many of the athletes came from the cities of Davao, Digos, Tagum, and Mati, and the municipalities of Malita, Matanao, Nabunturan, Compostela, and Lupon.
Kim said the youngest among the male and female participants was a three-year-old, while the eldest is 30.
“I have been on this journey for a long time already. Paolo [Duterte] was young back then when I trained him (in taekwondo). He was not yet a politician at that time. We are grateful for his support to the club and to our taekwondo athletes,” Kim said.
Kim said the Pulong Duterte tournament serves as a proper preparation and tune-up for athletes planning to compete in the
national and international taekwondo championships.
The tournament, which led to an influx of visitors who watched the games, helped boost Davao City’s tourism industry and local businesses.
Kim invited everyone interested in taekwondo to take up the sport.
Taekwondo is an Olympic sport. “It is a very dynamic martial arts form. Its events are very family-friendly,” Kim said.
“Many people think that taekwondo is just all kicking and fighting.
It’s more of an exercise, the learning of proper skills and techniques, and, most significantly, disciplining oneself. If you look at Paolo Duterte now, he has grown up to be a fine and disciplined man,” Kim said.
To promote fitness, physical awareness, and mental acuity, Kim said that taekwondo incorporates several techniques and mindsets, adding that this martial art provides its practitioners with a wide range of advantages and benefits.