Pauline Lopez looked forward to joining a competition while in lockdown.
And the recent Smart/MVP Sports Online National Taekwondo Speed Kicking Championships gave her a chance to do so.
“It was fun for me and we stepped up,” said Lopez in a recent online interview.
Lopez and members Team Philippines joined the unique competition, which was created by the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) officials and coaches while many of their players were undergoing home quarantine.
The tournament served as test for many national jins who will join the World Championships this October.
“It has been months since we joined tournaments. And we looked forward to this,” added the 23-year-old Lopez.
Joining Lopez were fellow SEA Games standouts Alora, Samuel Morrison, Arven Alcantara, Kurt Bryan Barbosa and Veronica Garces.
The national jins are seeking Tokyo Olympics berth through a still unscheduled Asian qualifier in Amman, Jordan.
Lopez recently took the women’s featherweight class gold during the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
She will be up against rivals from Korea and China who have already booking Olympic tickets via world rankings.
And she is getting some help from her coach Rani Ortega in her bid to stay in shape.