The Philippine taekwondo team made another successful international campaign by bagging 13 medals in the recent Asian Open championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The well-trained Filipinos collected six golds, three each in kyorugi (free sparring) and poomsae (forms), one silver, and six bronzes in their matches against tough performers from 21 countries like Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, China, Turkey, Mongolia, Qatar. Uzbekistan, Thailand, and Pakistan.
The Filipino gold medalists are Kurt Bryan Barbosa, Dave Cea and Veronica Garces in kyorugi and Rodolfo Reyes Jr., Dustin Jacob Mella and Raphael Enrico Mella (authorized poomsae team, male), Rodolfo Reyes Jr. (authorized poomsae individual, male) and Darius Venerable and Juvenile Faye Crisostomo (freestyle poomsae pair).
The other kyorugi medalists are Israel Cesar Cantos, silver; Arven Lacantara,bronze; Kristopher Robert Uy, bronze; and Laila Delo, bronze; while the poomsae bronze medalists are Rinna Babanto, Jocel Lyn Ninobla and Aidaine Krishia Laxa, authorized team, female; Jocel Lyn Ninobla, authorized individual,female;and Janna Dominique Oliva, freestyle individual, female.
Officials of the Philippine Taekwondo Association praised the showing of the Filipinos, who are tuning up for the Southeast Asian Games which will be staged here late this year.
The PH team’s trip was supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, PLDT, Meralco, Philippine Olympic Committee and MILO.