Seven more Filipino jins triumphed on Sunday in the senior Kyorugi (free sparring) competition to help the Philippines emerge as overall winner in the 14th ASEAN Taekwondo Championships at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.
The Filpino stars who produced seven of the country’s 27 gold medals in the two-day international event were Kirstie Elaine Alora, Abigail Faye Valdez, Reign Charm Ragutana, Israel Cesar Cantos, Noel Sabillano, Kurt Pasjuelas and Gabriel Teruel.
Overall, the Philippines collected 73 medals including 26 silvers and 20 bronzes to outshine tough rival Vietnam, which finished second with 61 medals (19 gold, 14 silver, 28 bronze).
Malaysia ranked a far third with 16 medals, Myanmar fourth with 11, and Singapore and Cambodia tied for fifth with 4 medals each.
The Filipinos’ showing was a tremendous improvement from their performance in the 13th ASEAN championships held in Perlis, Malaysia in 2017 when they collected only five golds, seven silvers and four bronzes.