PHNOM PENH.—The Philippine taekwondo team capped a successful campaign in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games by winning four bronze medals Tuesday.
Joseph Chua (men’s under-65kg), Dave Cea (men’s -80kg), Baby Dessica Canabal (women’s -53kg) and Laila Delo (women’s -67kg) delivered podium finishes as the charging jins wrapped up their stint with six gold medals, one silver and eight bronzes.
The Filipinos easily surpassed their 2-5-3 gold-silver-bronze tally last year in Hanoi.
“Our team performed better compared to the last Vietnam SEA Games,” head of delegation Rocky Samson said.
Leading the medal rush were poomsae champs Patrick Perez (men’s individual), Jocel Lyn Ninobla, Nicole Labayne and Aidine Laxa (women’s team) and kyorugi rulers Kurt Barbosa (men’s finweight), Arven Alcantara (men’s featherweight), Samuel Morrison (men’s middleweight) and Elaine Alora (women’s middleweight).
Perez accounted for the lone silver in partnership with Ian Corton and Joaquin Tuzon in the recognized poomsae men’s team event.
Other bronze medalists were Ninobla and Corton (recognized poomsae mixed pair), Jeordan Dominguez, Darius Venerable, Justin Macario, Juvenile Faye Crisostomo and Zyka Angelica Santiago (freestyle mixed team), Veronica Garces (women’s -45kg), Nicole McCann (women’s -57kg).
The jins more than lived up to expectations.
“We were targeting four golds—at least two in poomsae and two in kyorugi,” Samson said.